


Blades, Trains, Assassin's, Thieves.

by Ladyelle



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Assassination, Blow Jobs, Declarations Of Love, Eventual Sex, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Game Spoilers, Masturbation, Non-Graphic Violence, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Porn With Plot, Reader-Insert, Sex, Smut, Spoilers, Train Sex, What else would you expect from me ;), game rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-01-25 02:15:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 60,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12520684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyelle/pseuds/Ladyelle
Summary: In desperation to buy back your shop, you had turned to theft and pickpocketing the rich people of London.  Until one day, you made the huge mistake of stealing from an Assassin....





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chiefy2k16](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiefy2k16/gifts).



You pulled your hood up as the rain started to fall, hiding around a corner of a house as you tailed your mark through the streets of Whitechapel. You hated the fact that you were now a thief, but when the blighters had repeatedly stormed your fathers' shop and stole all of your takings, you had no other choice but to do what you must to survive.

Following the man through the streets, you studied him carefully as you made your plan to pickpocket him. He was quite shabbily dressed, his clothes worn and torn and his hat looked like it would fall to pieces if you touched it, but you knew he had quite a lot of money inside his jacket pocket. Well, he did have the first time you had seen him several months ago, and you hoped he carried just as much again.

Circling around the house, running so you could get in front of him, you slowed down to walking pace as you stepped out of the side street and leisurely strolled towards him. Keeping your head low as you got closer, you 'accidentally' bumped into him, slipping your hand inside his coat and pulling out his coin bag, hiding it up your sleeve as you bowed your head and mumbled something of an apology. 

Grinning to yourself as you thought you had gotten away with it, you froze for a second before turning around as you heard someone shout.

"Oi! Get back here you filthy dipper!"

You immediately broke into a sprint when the man who you had just stolen off started running after you, silently hoping that he didn't know the streets and alleyways as well as you did. Weaving in and out of the bustling people, you glanced behind you to see that he was catching up. Starting to get a stitch in your side, you knew you had to do something fast, or you would be caught.

Ignoring the yells of the driver, you climbed up the side of a parked carriage to the roof, and jumped onto a balcony of the nearby building, using the window ledge to make your way up to the terraced roof. Trying to keep your balance on the wet tiles, you ran as fast as you could across the tops, leaping down to a stack of crates and to the ground when you reached the end.

Smiling slightly as you spotted the red awning to a shop that you knew, you burst through the door and slammed it shut behind you, trying to catch your breath as the owner stared at you wide-eyed.

"Henry, I need help. Gotta hide."

Feeling a bit ashamed as the strangely dressed Indian man scowled at you, you ran over to the counter he was gesturing to and hid underneath it.

"Quickly under here. Now, what have you gotten yourself into (name)?"

You didn't have a chance to reply as you heard the door open, and a slightly breathless man walk in. You glanced up at Henry as he walked to the other side of the counter, hoping that he wouldn't say anything about where you were. 

"Mr Frye? What can I do for you? Is something the matter?"

_"Some shits just pickpocketed me, I saw him run this way, didn't happen to see anyone did you? Bout yay big, black coat."_

"Can't say that I have Jacob, but I will be sure to keep an eye out for you. While you are here, could you please tell Evie that I have the information that she wanted."

You let out the breath you were holding as you heard the door open and slammed shut again, shuffling out and peeking over the top of the counter to make sure that he was gone before getting up and brushing yourself off.

"You should really be more careful (name), do you realise you have just stolen from an Assassin?"

Pulling your hood down so you could see better in the dimly lit shop, you scrunched your face up at the disappointed expression Henry was giving you.

"Aww bugger. No, I didn't! You really should give me a warning when you send Assassins to my shop."

"I send you people so you can fix their weapons, not so you can steal from them. I shall not recommend you anymore if you continue to pilfer off of them."

You walked over to the door and opened it just enough to poke your head around to check if the coast was clear, pulling your hood back up when you could see no-one about.

"Fine, I'll keep that in mind. Maybe this friend of yours can stop the blighters from robbing me blind every week, then I wouldn't have to do this anymore. By the way, the bank closed me down two weeks ago, so it's pointless sending anyone anyway."

Leaving the shop quickly so you couldn't see the pity look he was giving you, you ran back through the rain and towards the train station to where you had been hiding out recently. Hiding under the stairs on the platform and squeezing yourself tight into the corner, you pulled out the bag to count the money you had taken. Just over three shillings, that should keep you going for a bit. You clutched your stomach as it began to rumble furiously, you suddenly remembered that you hadn't eaten anything in two days.

Chucking the bag to one side and pocketing the money, you made your way back out to the vendor on the platform and got a couple of apples, which you demolished in under a minute. Satisfied that you weren't going to starve to death, you decided to try and break into your shop again, now that the rain had let up some. It didn't take you long to get there, walking absent-mindedly through the streets on a path that you had done many times before. Sighing as you looked up at the For Sale notice nailed over the sign and the heavy chains and lock securing the door, you made your way to the back and pulled out the lockpick you had managed to 'acquire' a few days ago.

Giving up and throwing the pick on the ground after about an hour of trying to break the infernal lock, you looked up at the sky and sighed as it was starting to get dark. Returning to the main street, you quickly looked to your right as you heard several people screaming, and jumping out of the way of a speeding carriage. Your eyes widened as the driver came into view, it was the man you had stolen from several hours before. You stood froze to the spot as he looked over and noticed you, thankful that you still had your hood pulled up and couldn't see most of your face. Sprinting off in the opposite direction he was travelling when you saw his eyes narrow, you glanced behind you just long enough to see that he wasn't following you, apparently far too busy doing whatever wild escapade he was on.

Finally making it back to the train station, which was nearly barren of people this time of evening, you hid back under the steps and pulled a scrap of blanket over you, attempting to get some sleep in the bitter cold.

 

 

The next few days were pretty uneventful, wandering about and keeping out of sight of the blighters that seemed to have doubled in number over the past few weeks. The corner of your mouth twitched as you spotted a wealthy looking woman get out of a carriage near the market, who for some reason had decided to venture out unescorted. You only stole from the people who you think could afford it, your conscience not being able to take putting anyone in the same position you were in. 

Pulling your hood up and tailing the woman through the stalls, you kept an eye out for where she kept her money, waiting for her to purchase something that would tip you off. Hiding behind some crates and watching her as she bought some linen, you saw her reach into a hidden pocket in the side of her dress to pay.

A split second after you had stepped out of your hiding spot, you yelped as you felt a hand grab the scruff of your coat tightly, holding you in place.

"Gotcha! Give me back my money boy, or there's gonna be hell to pay."

Squirming and wriggling did you no good as the grip tightened on your back, so you stopped and grabbed the collar of your coat to prevent it from choking you as you felt another hand tug your hood down.

"Let go of me!"

The grip loosened as you turned and faced the person who had grabbed you, to see the assassin who you had stolen off staring at you wide-eyed in shock.

"You're a girl?!"

"Woman, last I checked, now let me go!" You hissed.

You managed to twist out of his grasp in his bewildered state, but before you could run away, he grabbed your arm firmly to keep you from fleeing.

"Pssht. Girl, woman, don't care. All that matters is that you stole from me, and I want it back."

Raising your eyebrows as you took a moment to look at his face properly, having only seen him from a distance in your shop or concentrating on picking his pocket, you could feel yourself getting slightly warmer when you saw he was quite ruggedly handsome.

His dark eyes glinted with a hint of playfulness, and the thin scars over his right eyebrow and left cheek did nothing to mar his almost chiselled features. His broad shoulders and his grip told you he was incredibly strong, you couldn't help but let your mind wander to what his chest looked like underneath his shirt. Snapping back to reality as he cleared his throat in waiting for your reply, you couldn't help but blush when you realised you had been staring.

"Good luck with that, I've spent it all."

He let you go with an exasperated sigh, and rubbed his stubble for a moment while he was deep in thought. Taking a step back in attempts to start running, he quickly grabbed your wrist to stop you as he came up with an idea.

"Oh no you don't, your gonna help me make that money back. Come on, follow me."

You didn't exactly have a choice but to follow him as he kept his hand firmly around your wrist, not painfully, but tight enough so you wouldn't be able to get away as he dragged you towards the direction of the train station.

"I'm Jacob by the way, and you are....."

"(Name). And I know who you are Mister Frye."

He dropped your wrist and turned to you with a look of confusion before carrying on walking slowly and gesturing for you to follow.

"Eh? How do you know who I am? I'm usually good with faces, and I'm sure we've never met before."

You grinned at the fact that you had managed to perplex a so-called assassin, and wondered if you should string him along for a bit, or just tell him the truth. You decided on the latter, given the current situation that you were in. His eyes widened as you pulled his coat to one side, and tapped the blade that was attached to his belt with your fingers.

"You brought your Kukri to my fathers' shop some time ago to be sharpened. Also Mr Green is a friend of mine."

"You know Greenie? So I guess you know what I am then?"

Looking around confusedly as you carried on walking past the train station, you began to feel quite nervous as you were headed to the rougher part of town, somewhere you never dared venture at night time.

"Um, yeah. You're an assassin, right? Mr Frye, just exactly where are we going?"

"Hmmm, so much for secret order. So you're the blacksmiths' daughter then ay? I told you already, you're going to help me get my money back."

"Blacksmith actually, since my father passed."

Your nervousness changed into panic as you got deeper into the borough, a part that was well known for its prostitutes.

"Wait... I'm not... You can't expect me to...."

Jacob burst out laughing when he took in your fretful expression, draping his arm over your shoulders and lowering his head as you passed a group of thugs.

"As if I'd do something like that! Give me a little bit of credit."

You breathed a sigh of relief when he squashed your theory about making you whore yourself out, your face curving into a grin as you started walking down towards the pit. Now slightly understanding what he wanted you to do, you shrugged his arm off you and bounded down the steps, waiting for him at the bottom. 

"I'm guessing you want me to bet on you? Don't seem fair given that you're an assassin though."

"Clever girl. Yes, can't exactly bet on myself now can I. Here take this, and don't bother trying to run away, because you know I'll find you again."

Raising your eyebrows as he pressed five shillings into your hand, you turned on your heel and made your way over to the bookie who you immediately recognised.

"Robert! Been a while!"

The brightly dressed man turned to you as he heard his name being called, tipping his hat as his eyebrows raised in bafflement at you being there.

"(Name)? It has been a while, pray tell what I can do for you this fine evening."

"See that bloke over there?" you asked, gesturing to Jacob who was stood near the ring and watching the other fighters.

"He wants to fight, and I'd like to place a bet on him. What odds will you give him?"

He grinned as he looked Jacob over quickly, grabbing the chalk off the table and began to write on the board.

"I'll start him at 5 to 1 for the first round, and we'll go from there. Whats his name?"

"Frye. Jacob Frye."

Handing over the coins, you walked back over to Jacob just as Robert began calling out that he had a new fighter, and he was taking bets.

"Everything's sorted, I hope you're as good as you think you are."

You lowered your head when he smirked and winked at you suggestively as he took off his coat, throwing it in your arms and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Oh my dear, I'm very good. Look after these for me would you? There's a good girl."

Struggling to hold everything as he dumped his waistcoat, shirt and weapons onto you, placing his hat gently on top of the pile, you nearly dropped everything as you looked back up to see him climb in the ring. It seemed that your imagination was correct as your eyes flickered over his torso, he definitely had a muscular body, with dark hair running over his chest, trailing down in a thin strip past his navel.

You bit your lip as your eyes continued to roam over him, stopping to study the tattoo on his left shoulder. A Raven? No, a Rook maybe? From where you were stood you couldn't tell, and you didn't have a chance to ask as three more contestants entered the ring.

Your jaw dropped as you watched him fight, knocking out all three of his opponents in record time, without taking a single hit himself. You looked up when Robert shouted out that he was taking bets for the second round, you waved over for him to roll your money over when he looked over in your direction.

Turning your attention back to the ring, you began chewing you lip nervously as you saw five more men climb in, only to see Jacob smirk as they surrounded him menacingly. You swore that you heard a bone break when he ducked underneath one of the big brutes jabs and countered with his own blow, punching straight in his ribs that made him collapse to the ground in agony. Beginning to get exhilarated when he had cleared the ring again, you waved over to Robert to carry on, unsure whether it was the actual fight, or the man that was participating that was the cause for your excitement.

You soon got your answer when he had finished the third round completely unscathed, your face burning in a savage blush when he turned directly to you, and threw you a cheeky wink when he saw you cheering for him. Burying your face in his clothes, you pushed through the crowd and made your way back up to Robert, who began singing your praises the second you stepped into view.

"Ah (name)! I would like to thank you for bringing such excitement so my humble affair! Here are the details of my next event, if your friend is interested of course."

Taking the slip of paper from him and stuffing it into your pocket, you spun around as a roar of cheers erupted from the crowd, watching the last man slump to the floor after Jacobs resounding left punch. Collecting your winnings and making your way back to the side of the ring, you held your breath as you approached Jacob, who was wiping the sweat off himself with a rag.

"Looks like you weren't exaggerating Mr Frye, here's your money, and your clothes. I hope this makes us even now."

Pressing the money into his outstretched hand and almost throwing his things at him, you turned around and began to walk away quickly. You gasped as he suddenly jumped in front of you, nearly crashing into him as you wondered how he had managed to move so fast, especially after four rounds of brawling.

"Hold up (name). For starters we're not even close to being even, and do you really think I'd let you walk home alone in this part of town?"

Swallowing hard as you looked up at him with dismay, your expression soon changed into a smile when he gave you a broad grin in return.

"If you insist. But just so you know, I don't exactly have a home anymore, and just how am I supposed to make it up to you then?"

You began walking up out of the pit as he haphazardly pulled his clothes back on, barely doing anything back up before draping his arm around your shoulders when you reached the streets.

"Well, you can tell me what happened to your shop for starters."

You looked up at him out of the corner of your eye, scrunching your face up and wondering why he was suddenly so interested in your life.

"Blighters. Kept coming to fathers shop and demanding money in return for not smashing the place up. I'm guessing you remember he was quite ill when you came in?"

Carrying on when he just gave you a simple nod, you were surprised when his expression never changed to one of pity, which was what you were used to after telling this after what was probably the tenth time this week.

"Well his heart finally gave out a couple of months ago, and that left me to run the place. I'm just as good as father was, but nowhere near as fast, so between the lack of customers and getting stolen from constantly, the bank eventually closed me down."

Stopping as you realised you had made it to the train station, you pushed off his arm again and turned to him, waiting for him to say something, but he just stared off into the distance with a thoughtful expression. Shrugging your shoulders and turning to walk towards the platform, you jumped when you felt his hand on the small of your back.

"Wait. Here, take this. I'll help you get your shop back okay."

Your eyes widened as he pressed a pound into your hand, and gave you a devilish grin before turning to walk away, calling out over his shoulder as he started crossing the street.

"You should think about joining my Rooks, could do with a decent thief."

Slowly making your way back to your hiding spot and stuffing the money in the hidden pocket in your coat, you lay down and pulled the blanket over you, trying to make sense of what just happened tonight.

An assassin wants to help you? A rather attractive assassin at that. Why?! The money he had given you was nowhere close to being able to pay the bank back, but it was a start at least. And Rooks? What the hell is a Rook?! Closing your eyes as you started to get tired, you decided not to get your hopes up, but couldn't help but get a feeling that your life was definitely about to change from now on.


	2. Chapter 2

It was another two weeks before you ran into the assassin again, and that was only by happenstance as you wandered through the city of London. You had even gone to Robert Topping's next event in hopes of catching him to find out if he had meant what he had said about your shop, until you suddenly remembered that you hadn't actually given him the details of the next fight.

Jumping out of the way as a man in a strange green and yellow uniform sped past you in a carriage, you suddenly looked over the street towards the paper mill where there was a lot of commotion. You raised your eyebrows as you saw a dark-haired woman, who this time was obviously an assassin, escorting the child workers out of the factory then turning to Jacob and engaging him in an argument almost immediately.

Not wanting to get involved in what looked like to be a lovers quarrel, you carried on down the street in search of a new mark. Slowing down as you heard somewhat familiar heavy footsteps behind you, you were only partly surprised to turn around to see Jacob beaming down at you with his usual wide grin.

"Well, we meet again (name). I've been looking for you, weren't at the station in your usual spot."

Looking over his shoulder to see the dark-haired woman now yelling at a somewhat nervous-looking man who was ushering the children down the street, you couldn't help but grin as the youngest threw her doll at her, making her shut up instantly.

"Erm yes, I don't like to stay in one place too long. Your wife has some mouth on her."

Jacob looked over to where you were staring at, immediately bursting out into laughter which proved to be quite contagious as you began giggling yourself.

"That, is definitely not my wife. My twin sister Evie, and yes, she can be a bit loud sometimes. But don't let her hear you say that, she'll have your guts for garters."

Raising your eyebrows and completely believing everything he had just said, you made a mental note never to aggravate the woman who was now yelling over to Jacob for him to come back.

"Oh, bloody hell. Better go and see what she wants now, meet me at your shop tomorrow?"

Only just managing to get in a nod as he walked away and began shouting back, something about he didn't care if she was four minutes older, you realised that he didn't say exactly _when_ to meet him. You were just about to call over, but instead, you stood in amazement as you watched the twins shoot some kind of rope from the contraptions they had on their arms into the air, and used it to scale to the top of the factory in a matter of seconds, before disappearing from sight.

"Wow. I have got to get one of those...." you mumbled to yourself before continuing down the street and towards the park.

 

 

The next day you were pacing in front of your store, wondering why you had decided to get here so early this morning. You didn't know an awful lot about what assassins did, not wanting to get yourself wrapped up into something you couldn't handle, but you did know that they preferred to work at night under cover of darkness, which was why your father had worked so late in the evening.

Hiding down the side street as a group of blighters pulled up in a carriage across the way, you slumped down against the wall and pulled out your pocket knife and began fiddling with it. It was as blunt as a spoon, but your father had given it to you when you were a child, and it was the only thing you had managed to take with you before you had been kicked out. You frowned at yourself for letting it get so dull, your father would not have been impressed, most likely sending you off to farrow as punishment.

Tiring of waiting and mulling on the past, you dragged yourself up and decided to come back later. Just as you hastily turned the corner back onto the street, you bumped straight into Jacob that sent you crashing to the ground, landing straight on your backside.

"Easy there (name), you alright?"

Ignoring his outstretched hand and getting up by yourself, you scowled as he began laughing when you rubbed your rear.

"Fine. So what did you want me to meet you here for?"

Your eyes widened as he gave you a devilish grin and pulled out a pick from his coat, quickly undoing the padlock around your shop door before pulling the chains from around the handles and dropping them to the ground.

"That's not entirely lawful Mister Frye."

He shrugged his shoulders as he pushed the door open and gestured for you to go inside, following you close behind before kicking it shut again.

"Never quite been one for following rules as you might have noticed. Now that's out of the way, I'd like to ask a service from you."

You stood froze to the spot as he jumped up and sat on the edge of your workstation, trailing his fingers over his belt for a moment before undoing it. Your mouth ran dry as he beckoned for you to go over, which you did hesitantly, stopping about a foot away. You could feel your heart pounding in your ears as he leaned closer, enough so you could feel his hot breath on your cheek.

"I want to see how talented you are." he whispered huskily, which made a faint tremor run down your spine.

Closing your eyes as he took your hand, you snapped them open immediately as you felt him press something long and hard into your palm. Looking down to see he had put his Kukri in your hand, scabbard and all, you looked back up at him quizzically as he gave you a mischievous grin.

"Be a good girl and fix that would you?"

Turning around so he couldn't see the blush rising in your cheeks, you took a deep breath to calm your nerves and pulled the blade out, frowning as you saw there were several considerable nicks in the edge, and a hairline crack about halfway down.

"What on earth have you been doing with it to cause this kind of damage?!"

Turning around to see that he had jumped down and begun wandering about and looking at your tools, you became slightly aggravated as he just waved his hand dismissively.

"Some Templar tried to stop me from taking his cargo, he was faster than he looked. Not fast enough though."

"Sorry I asked. Well, I can fix it, but it's going to take a couple of days."

He suddenly stopped and dropped back down the hammer he was fiddling with, turning his attention back to you slightly tensed.

"A couple of days? What am I supposed to do until then? I have bad guys to kill remember."

Rolling your tongue in your cheek and pondering for a moment, you placed the blade on the counter and grabbed him by the arm, leading him around the corner to the back of the shop. Rummaging around under the bed, you pulled out a small box and took out a silver key, and headed over to the large cabinet in the corner.

"You slept here?"

Glancing over your shoulder as you fiddled with the ill-fitting piece of metal, the corner of your mouth curved as you finally heard it click into place.

"Yes, so much work, and not enough time to do it in. That's what got me in this predicament. Here, help yourself."

You grinned as his mouth dropped when you finally opened the doors to reveal a quite impressive collection of blades and weapons, giggling as he rubbed his hands together like a kid in a sweet shop.

"These are all for other customers, so I'll have to replace what you take, so please keep that in mind. Lock it back up when you're done, I've got work to do."

Going back to the front of the store, you blew away the dust that had settled on your anvil and began filling a bucket full of coal for the fire pit. Dropping it all over the floor as you heard the door burst open with a bang, you looked up quickly to see two men and a woman dressed in red barge in.

"Lookie what we have here, seems like someone's back in business? You know what we're here for."

"Get out, I have nothing for you blighters." you spat loudly, hoping that Jacob had heard from in the back room.

Taking a step back as the brute started to advance towards you, you reached out behind you to grab the Kukri off the counter, starting to panic when you couldn't feel it.

"We can always take payment in another way if ya wanna."

You began to shake in anger as the colossal man leered at you, the other two cackling behind him, until you saw something move out of the corner of your eye to the right. In a split second, Jacob jumped out from the rack he was hiding behind, sinking his hidden blade into the back of the woman and wrapping his arm around the head of the smaller man, twisting fiercely and snapping his neck before dropping him to the ground.

The noise had alerted the brute, just enough so he managed to duck down as Jacob swung out with his Kukri, breaking it clean in two as it hit the stone pillar in the middle of the room. Frantically looking around, you spotted your forging hammer on the other side of the counter. Quickly grabbing it and throwing it with all of your might towards the last blighter, you managed to distract him for a few seconds when it hit him square in the back. Taking advantage of the diversion, Jacob flicked out his hidden blade again and pulled the man towards him, plunging it into his chest and pushing him to the floor.

"Well, that takes care of that! Hopefully there won't trouble you for a while when they hear what's happened."

"Umm, thank you. Just what are we going to do about that?"

Jacob looked down as you continued to stare at the dead bodies and the blood pooling all over the floor, before picking up the pieces of his shattered weapon and handing them to you.

"Ah. I have a friend in the police, Freddie Abberline. I'll tell him what happened and he can sort this out."

Staring at the broken blade in your hand, your brow furrowed in confusion at his solution.

"Police? I'm not exactly supposed to be here remember, least of all with three dead blighters in the middle of the floor."

Pulling himself straight and returning to the back of the shop, he folded his arms and began scratching his chin thoughtfully as he looked over the array of weapons in the cabinet again.

"He won't say anything, and he won't throw you out either, so don't worry your pretty head about that. Hmmm, now which one to choose. Can you still fix mine?"

You scoffed as you dropped the pieces on the bed, before pulling out a long dagger out of the cabinet, pushing it into his hand and locking it again.

"To put it politely Mister Frye, not a chance in hell. I'll have to make you a new one, yours was too heavy in the hilt anyway. I'm surprised your wrist didn't get tired."

Biting your lip and hastily walking back to the front of your shop when the way he looked at you gave you some very impure thoughts, you grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling down a list of things you needed to make his new blade. Handing over the note, he studied it for a moment before looking back at you puzzled, stuffing the scrap of paper in his coat pocket.

"This isn't a normal list, where am I supposed to find these things?"

"You'll most likely need to speak to someone called Mr Wynert for them. He'll be down by the docks or around that area."

"Wait, you know Ned?"

Grinning as you carried on picking up the coal and dumping it in the pit, your eyebrows raised as you glanced back up, quickly looking away again when you saw he was staring at you.

"Yes, I know Ned. I'm a thief remember, every thief needs a fence, and he happens to be the most notorious in London. As you most likely know, he likes to keep people in his debt, so if he has what I need, it won't be hard to get it off him. So, get going."

Stepping over the bodies and ushering him out the door while he mumbled something about another woman bossing him about, you slammed it shut quickly and locked it, swallowing hard as you glanced at the pools of blood again.

Circling around the mess, you tried to concentrate on setting everything up to begin working, but found it close to impossible as a million things were spinning through your head. Bloody hell, what have I got myself into? Helping assassins, dead bodies on your floor, whats next? Finally finding your tinderbox and lighting up the pit, you were startled by a loud knock at the door.

Slowly unbolting it and peeking out of the crack, you saw a slightly concerned man dressed in a black suit and top hat.

"Miss (name)? I'm Chief Inspector Abberline, a mutual 'friend' of ours asked me to stop by?"

Nodding and opening the door slightly so you could see down the street to make sure that he was alone, you opened it wider so he could step inside, hastily closing it the second he stepped foot in.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon Inspector. As you can see, I'm in dire need of help, thanks to our 'friend'."

Watching him crouch down and roll the woman's body over, you began fidgeting nervously as he took out a notepad and pencil from his coat.

"I've become quite used to cleaning up after Jacob, so this isn't too much of a problem, we can chalk it up to a robbery gone awry. One thing that might be difficult is explaining why you are here? I couldn't help but notice the sign and the chains outside."

Walking to the back of the store and picking up the destroyed blade off the bed, you held it out so he could see it, hoping that it was a suitable explanation as to why you had broken in.

"This is my shop, Inspector. Mister Frye needs my help in making a new weapon."

"I see. Well, you'll have to leave while I get this cleaned up, but I'll be sure to leave the back unlocked so you can get back in."

Standing back up and snapping his notebook shut before tucking it back in his coat, he walked back over to the door and gestured for you to leave.

"Please do stay out of sight, unless you'd like to see the inside of a cell. I'll have this taken care of quickly, you can return tonight."

"Thank you, Inspector."

"Freddie, miss. Any friend of the Frye's is a friend of mine. Now hop along."

Freddie tipped his hat to you before walking down the street, calling a constable over to tell him what had happened. You ran away in the opposite direction when you saw them heading toward you, leaving you at a loose end for the next few hours. Feeling quite excited that you had got your shop back, not precisely in the way you had hoped, you made your way to the market to buy some other things that you would need that weren't on the list that you had given to Jacob. 

After a few hours of mulling about, you made your way back to the rear of your shop, slightly shocked that the door had been left open, just as the inspector said he would. You nearly dropped the packet you were carrying when you walked in and saw Jacob stretched out on your bed, hands laced behind his head and hat pulled down over his eyes.

"Mister Frye! Would you kindly get out of my bed! What are you doing here?"

You had obviously woken him up when he jumped up with a start, looking slightly sheepish as he rearranged his cap back on his head.

"Ah, there you are. Sorry, got bored of waiting. Here, this is for you."

Walking through to your workshop as Jacob picked up a sack that was next to him on the floor, you glanced around as he dropped it onto the table with a clang. You were thankful but the bodies had gone, but you still grimaced at the stains on the floor before turning back to see the contents of the sack strewn on the counter.

"Everything you asked for. So how long will this take?"

"Hmm, about a week or so, it's not easy starting from scratch."

Sorting through all the things on the counter to make sure you had everything you needed, you were surprised to see him sit down and prop his legs up on the table, leaning back on the chair and pouting at you.

"A week?! I can't wait that long, surely you're exaggerating?"

Knocking his legs down to you could get to the pit and stoke the fire, you smirked to yourself when he only just managed to stop himself from toppling over.

"Yes Mister Frye, a week. I can't just snap my fingers and make one appear out of nowhere. Don't you have anywhere else to be?"

"Nope. Evie took our train to search for some trinket with Greenie. Soooooo here I am, all yours for the rest of the day."

Picking up the chunk of metal off the counter and placing it into the pit, you took off your coat and grabbed your apron while staring at him wide-eyed as he propped himself back up on the table.

"Wait, you have a train?!"

"Oh didn't I mention that? You should come and see it, nice and cosy."

Turning away back to the fire as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, hoping that the heat from the flames would mask the reddening in your cheeks, you took a deep breath and attempted to concentrate on what you were doing, and not the huge flips that your stomach was doing.

"Fine, just don't get in my way. I will warn you, it will get rather hot in here."


	3. Chapter 3

Stoking the fire again to get it hot enough to begin working, you glanced behind you just in time to see Jacob peel off his shirt and drop it on the table.

"Mister Frye, please put your clothes back on. I did warn you, if it's too much, go outside."

"I thought you were joking. How are you not sweating?! Its hotter than Evie's temper in here."

Smirking and walking over to the table to pick up his shirt, you threw it at him and turned back quickly, so your face didn't betray what you were thinking.

"I'm used to it. Clothes. Now."

 

 

You had made him leave for the sake of your sanity before he could take anything else off, sending him out for more coal even though you didn't need it.

Pulling out the now glowing bar of metal from the pit, you held it on top of your anvil and began hammering it flat, folding and flattening over and over again in between putting it back in the fire when it cooled. You knew this wasn't going to be easy, making a blade strong enough to withstand the abuse that you knew was coming to it in the exuberant Assassin's hand, but your determination and pride kept you going.

Several hours later you heard the door creak open, looking up to see Jacob poke his head around the corner with a grin, and drop the sack of coal you had asked for on the floor.

"How's it going?"

Dunking the metal in the bucket of water sat on the floor and making a cloud of steam whirl around you, you jumped when he leaned over your shoulder from behind you, staring at the thick metal strip as you pulled it out. _How the hell does he move so fast?!_

"Doesn't look like a Kukri, maybe I could use it to club them to death?"

Sniggering and turning your head slightly to look at him out of the corner of your eye, you only just managed to hold back a gasp as your cheek rubbed up against his, his stubble grazing you that sent a tingle straight down to your core.

"Are you always this impatient?"

He had obviously noticed the slight fluster in your voice as he brushed up against you before sitting down at the table, smirking and leaning back on two legs of the chair again.

"Only when it's something I want, and I definitely want that."

Unable to hold back the blush rising in your cheeks when you suddenly realised he was looking at you and not the soon to be blade, you quickly placed the metal back into the pit and turned to your workstation so that you had your back to him, fiddling with the items that would make the hilt.

"Good things come to those who wait."

 

 

The next few days passed the same way, working day and night continuously, only stopping to eat or get a few hours sleep. Glancing up at your clock to see it was nearly midday, you quickly grabbed a scrap of cloth and covered the almost complete tang that you had just spent the past few hours polishing, not wanting Jacob to see it just yet. He had become quite predictable in coming over, always around noon, pottering about impatiently before saying some kind of suggestive comment that had made you fluster and lose track of what you were doing.

Right on time you heard the door open, you didn't even bother to look up as you grabbed your engraving tool and began work on the bolster.

"It's still not finished before you ask."

"Who says I was going to ask? What's under here then?"

Swatting his hand away as he reached over and tried to pick up the rag that was covering the handle, your breath caught in your throat as you turned around to face him, eyes widening as they drifted up and down when you saw that he had a new set of clothes.

He was now wearing a long black coat with the collar pulled up, trousers and boots that didn't have any holes or stains over them, and a green brocade waistcoat that was accentuated with a loose red tie around his neck. He took off his top hat and dropped it on the table as he glanced over himself when he realised what you were staring at, the corner of his mouth twitching as you focused your attention to the coin pendant that he always wore laying on his chest.

"Yes I know I look ridiculous, but Evie insisted. Said she was tired of me looking like a pig's ear."

Swallowing hard and turning back to your work, you took a deep breath to try and slow your heart that was now beating louder than a drum in your ears, before clearing your throat when you finally found your voice.

"Ridiculous isn't the word I would use Mister Frye."

"Oh? Then what word would you use? Odd? Pricks a good one."

Giggling as you smacked his hand away from the cloth again, you took the opportunity to cast another glance over him, chewing at your lip and trying to wrack your brain to come up with a suitable word, but failing miserably as you started undressing him with your eyes.

"Erm, you look... Nice?"

"Nice? That's the best you could come up with?"

Laughing again when he clutched his chest and pretended to be insulted, you dropped your tool and piece of metal down on the counter, giving up trying to concentrate on work now you had rather improper images in your mind.

"Alright then, better. You look, better. Now is there anything else? I really do need to carry on without any more distractions."

Jacob grabbed his top hat off the table and arranged it on his head _just so,_ before wincing when you smacked his hand away from the table yet again, then turned and headed back towards the door.

"I suppose I had better go, no doubt Evie's pacing about waiting for me. By the way, I preferred 'distraction' to better."

Sighing and grabbing your instrument as you watched him jump up to catch the side of the building and climb out of view to the roof, you dropped it back down again, rubbing your face and staring blankly at the wall. _You can't get involved with an assassin, you just can't. Father had warned you how dangerous they were, but surely after everything you had been through, you could handle whatever came with it?_ Shaking yourself off and pushing the images of Jacob out of your head, you picked up the smooth piece of metal again, more determined than ever to finish it as quickly as you could.

 

 

Grinning to yourself as you dropped the polishing cloth on the table, you sat back and admired your work. You were quite pleased that it had turned out so well, even your father would have been impressed. The blade had a deadly serrated edge, and you had managed to decorate the red handle with faint engravings of the assassin symbol on it, embellished with a silver eagles head on its pommel. 

You frowned as you glanced at the clock, seeing it was just past three in the afternoon. It was the first time in a week that Jacob hadn't visited you, and you began to wonder why. Figuring he was no doubt on some reckless escapade around London, stealing another carriage, beating up Templars or the like, you decided to stay at the shop as would probably have next to no chance in tracking him down to give him his new weapon.

 

After several hours mulling about and tidying up your shop, exhaustion finally got the better of you, and you had dozed off sat in a chair, laying on your folded arms on the table. You were so deep in sleep, not even the sound of the door creaking open woke you.

Noticing you were asleep, Jacob turned around to leave, stopping when he spotted something on your workstation. Creeping past you quietly, he picked up the scabbard and drew out the blade, a curve of a smile appearing as he examined it. Glancing around for a moment, he sat down next to you at the table, and gently picked up a stray hair that was on your arm. Holding it over the edge of the blade for a moment, his eyebrows raised as he dropped it, watching it intently as it cut perfectly in two.

Your eyes snapped open when you heard a chair scrape against the floor, after rubbing your eyes to help you focus, you looked up to see Jacob staring down at you, beaming wildly.

"I take it you like it then?"

Stretching out and yawning as you watched him swish it about, you couldn't help but smile with how pleased he looked.

"Oh yes, this is going to be a lot of fun. Now we just need to test it out."

"Wait... We?!" you asked confusedly while stifling another yawn.

"Yes, we. Come along, you've been cooped up in here for a week making this for me, don't you want to see how good it is?"

Feeling slightly anxious about going out and joining in on whatever he had planned, you made your way to the back of the shop and to your weapons cabinet, choosing a slender dagger to take with you.

"You know how to use that?" said Jacob in a slightly mocking tone.

Locking the cupboard back up, you scowled at him as you ushered him outside, slamming the door loudly behind you both.

"Yes, I do. You can't be around blades and knives your whole life and not know how to use them. You haven't said exactly how you're going to 'test' your new Kukri yet."

Draping his arm around the usual spot on your shoulders, you tried to keep your attention on the path ahead when you noticed he kept glancing over at you, not quite sure of his expression.

"We're going to the docks. Remember when you said Ned likes people owing him favours? Well, this is one of them."

Raising your eyebrows in surprise as you didn't expect to be involved in some kind of assassin mission, you nudged him towards a side street, knowing a quicker way to get to the port.

"Alright, just exactly what does he want us to do?"

"Right up your street actually. There's a shipment coming in, and he wants us to steal it. Shouldn't be too much trouble."

Dropping his arm from around you as you reached the dock, he pulled you behind a stack of crates and peeked around them, grinning as he spotted the boat he was looking for.

"I need to grab that manifest from that blighter over there, and we need to mark the containers that Ned wants. My Rooks will do the rest."

Nodding as it sounded easy enough, you followed Jacob closely as he snuck onto the boat and crept towards the woman who was holding a pile of papers, your eyes widening as he clapped a hand over her mouth, and sunk his blade deep into her back.

He gestured for you to come closer as he pushed the body off the side of the boat into the water, and grabbed the manifest off the floor, flicking through the pages and pointing to several lines when you reached him.

"These are the ones we need, you find them and mark them, I'll keep my eye out for any more of the gang."

"No problem. I actually expected this to be a lot harder."

A tingle ran through you when he rubbed your arm and grinned cheekily, before handing you the papers and running off in search of more blighters. Leaning slightly to the left so you could see him climb up the cargo and jump down the other side, you took a deep breath to calm yourself down before looking at the list.

 

Pulling out your dagger and marking the first container on the list, you stood up quickly as you heard a lot of shouting voices to your right. Glancing over the top of the crate, you hurried to the next case as you spotted Jacob fighting against several gang members that were circling around him.

You grinned to yourself when you saw that he had made fast work of the men that had surrounded him, partly thanks to your blade. You picked up your pace when another six came out of nowhere and began attacking, knowing that no matter how good the weapon was, he was starting to become overwhelmed.

Looking around quickly and sheathing your dagger after you had just finished marking the last one, you froze for a moment as Jacob ran towards you, with nearly two dozen blighters chasing after him. He grabbed your arm and pulled you into running alongside him down the boat, skidding to a stop as you reached the end.

"You're not afraid of heights are you?" Jacob asked through his rapid breathing.

"No, why?"

You had barely finished speaking when he wrapped his arm around your waist, shooting his grappling hook out and catching it on the side of the bridge, your stomach lurching as you both hurled up in the air. The momentum flung you over the side rail, but having never done this before, your footing faltered as you landed, straight on top of Jacob as you crashed to the ground. Your breath caught in your throat when his grip tightened around your waist as he looked up at you, his eyes dancing playfully and lips curving into a sensual grin.

"As much as I'm enjoying having you on top of me my dear, we need to get going before those blighters catch up."

It took a moment for you to come to your senses, slowly clambering up and leaning against the rail to steady yourself. You cocked your head as you saw a flurry of green down below, what you assumed were the Rooks, finishing off the blighters and stealing the cargo.

Turning back to Jacob, you smiled and shook your head when you saw him climbing up into the driver's seat of a nearby carriage.

"You stole another one?"

Shrugging his shoulders as he extended his hand to help you up to sit beside him, you held on for dear life as he cracked the reins, making the horses immediately go into a fast gallop.

"Didn't steal, just, borrowed. I'll bring it back," he said, grinning at you playfully.

"I see. Do we really need to go so fast?! Where are we going?"

You looked over to where he was pointing in the near distance, to see thick black smoke billowing up in the air.

"Over there. That's my train."


	4. Chapter 4

Quickly climbing out of the carriage, you started in a slow jog alongside the tracks as you waited for the train to catch up. It had thankfully slowed down as it had got to the station to pass through, so jumping on it was going to be easier than you thought, as you had become slightly panicked when Jacob had said that you would be getting on without it stopping. Grabbing hold of the rail at the end of one of the carriages, you hoisted yourself up with relative ease, following Jacob in when he had jumped up behind you.

"Wow.. this is amazing! Is everything here really yours?"

Looking around quickly to take everything in, it was much better than you had expected. The carriage you were in was quite nicely decorated, a long black leather couch, a safe and a cluttered desk on the left, two more on the right, one of which Jacob had perched himself on the end of.

"Yes, thanks to our dear friend Mr Wynert."

"Ned?! I can't help but think I'm being cheated somehow..."

Jacob grinned when you put your hands on your hips and pouted, before turning your attention to the board that had several photographs and pieces of red string pinned to it, on the wall right next to where Jacob was sitting.

"What's all this for?"

"That? Just all the Templars in London that deserve my attention. This was _his_ train."

He jumped up eagerly to stand just in front of you to attach a string cross over an image of a man that you slightly recognised as a blighter leader, then turned back to face you with a pleased smirk. All of a sudden the train jolted as it slowed down, making you lurch forward and collide against Jacob, who was now pinned between you and the wall. You gasped when he raised his eyebrow and lay his hands on your waist, stopping you from pulling away.

"That's twice you've thrown yourself at me today. Can't say I'm complaining though."

In a split second, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against yours firmly, pulling back just as fast when he heard someone shout his name. Startled and flustered, you snapped your head to the side, to see a rather annoyed Evie stood there, hands on hips.

"Jacob Frye! Just what on earth do you think you are doing?! Who is this?"

You tried to take a step back, but his hands gripped you slightly tighter when he felt you move, turning his head to glare at his sibling.

"Ah dear sister, impeccable timing as always. This is (name) the thief I was telling you about."

"Charmed. That doesn't explain what she's doing here though?"

You tried to hide your face when her eyes drifted over you in annoyance, but with nowhere to turn you failed miserably, so you had to watch her finally settle on staring at the hands that were still firmly around you. _Brilliant. What a great first impression._

"Oh calm down Evie. Do you think I'm some kind of idiot? She's a friend of ol' Greenies."

Evie's piercing gaze softened slightly at hearing this, raising her eyebrows again and scoffing at Jacob.

"Well that's debatable. So you're a friend of Henry's?"

All you could do was softly nod as it seemed that your voice and the rest of your motor skills had decided to leave you in your half flustered, half aroused state.

"I see. Well if you're quite finished manhandling the poor girl, there is an important matter that needs our attention. Or have you forgotten why we came to London in the first place?"

Jacob finally loosened his grip around you, enough so you could take a few steps back, only to crash against the nearby desk as the train picked up speed again.

"I wasn't 'manhandling' her at all. No bruises." He said quite huskily, giving you a sly wink that made your already pink cheeks turn bright crimson.

"She's not just a thief either, take a look at this."

Taking advantage of Jacobs distraction, who had now pulled out his Kukri and was gushing about it as he handed it to Evie, you took a moment to process what just happened. Tracing your lips with your fingers, you couldn't deny the tingle that had run through you when he had kissed you, and wondered what might have happened if Evie had not interrupted you.

"(Name)...... (Name)....."

Snapping out of your lewd thoughts, you looked back up to see Jacob smirking at you, in a way to suggest that he knew exactly what you were thinking, and Evie stood there a little irritated, waiting for you to reply.

"Em, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Ah, she does speak. I asked if you really made this?" 

"Yes Miss Frye."

Evie handed back the blade to Jacob, then unbuckled her own weapon from her belt and handed it to you before sitting down in the nearby chair, slumping back and crossing her legs.

"Evie, please. Can you make one of those? I will fairly compensate you for it of course. I do hope my brother did?"

You grinned as you unsheathed the blade, glancing over it quickly. It was in excellent condition, which you weren't at all surprised at, given what you had noticed about the female assassin, but it could be improved upon, and you already had a design in mind that would suit her perfectly.

"Yes, cane swords are what I am best at, shouldn't be too much trouble. And no, Mister Frye didn't pay me for his, it was repayment after I stole from him."

You began giggling when Evie burst out into laughter, both of you looking over at Jacob who had now crossed his arms over his chest and started scowling.

"You, stole from him? That is the best news I have heard today. I'm beginning to like you (name)."

Taking an exaggerated bow now that all of your nervousness had disappeared, you handed Evie back her sword just as Henry jumped through the door.

"Evie, I have news of the..... (Name)? What are you doing here? I do hope you're not in some kind of trouble again."

"No Henry, I'm not. Just helping out making new weapons. Speaking of, I really should get going."

Henry looked quite surprised as he handed Evie a sheath of papers, making her jump up out of her seat when she glanced them over.

"Yes, that would be wise. Henry, do you mind taking her back?"

"I'll do it."

Evie glared at Jacob when he pushed himself off the wall and went to walk over to you, before moving in front of him and forcing the papers onto his chest.

"Oh no you won't. Remember what father said, don't let personal feelings compromise the mission." she hissed.

"Blah blah blah, don't you quote father to me. Besides, you're one to talk."

Jacob flicked a knowing glance between Evie and Henry, your own eyes widening in shock to see them both bow their heads and fluster slightly.

"That's enough you two. Both quarrelling like children. I will take (name) back to her shop, you need to follow the lead we have on Starrick." said Henry, who had managed to regain his composure quite quickly.

Following Henry to the door, you stopped for a second and turned back to the twins, who looked like they were no doubt about to start arguing again.

"Evie, it won't take me long to make you a new sword, you'll be able to pick it up at the end of the week. Mister Frye can tell you where I am." 

Grabbing hold of the side rail and leaping down before either could reply, you turned and waited for Henry who followed you just behind. Walking slowly until he caught you up, your pace quickened when you realised you were back in Whitechapel, quite impressed at the speed the train had done a full circuit of London.

"So are you going to tell me what made you have a change of heart? Even though your father was aiding me, you have always been quite insistent on not getting involved."

Shrugging your shoulders as you looked up at Henry, who had been looking at you quite puzzled since the train, you decided to tell him the truth. Well partly anyway.

"Jacob helped me get back into my shop again, and stopped the blighters from coming after me. Made me realise that there are others out there that need help too. So here I am."

"Are you certain? Once you become a part of this world, there is no turning back."

Stopping when you reached his curiosity shop, you grinned as a group of blighters looked over your way, walking hastily in the other direction when they spotted you. _Well, I definitely could get used to that....._ Mulling it over for a few moments more, you began chewing at your bottom lip when your stomach started fluttering, thinking about Jacob.

"Your worry for me is flattering but unnecessary. I'm sure. Now, do you happen to have any Obsidian?"

Grabbing everything you needed from Henry's shop, you quickly made it back to your own, and began setting up to make yet another assassin weapon. Pulling out your father's journal from under the bed, you coughed as you blew the dust off of it, and began flicking through the pages quickly. When you had finally found the page you wanted, you read through it, paying particular attention to the notes that were scrawled on the edge.

'Obsidian Lion cane sword..... Intricate carving..... (Name) to try as I failed...... Silver in hilt....'

_Silver in the hilt?! Great, one thing you didn't have. Where the hell are you supposed to find silver around here?!_

Snapping the book shut, you sat on the floor cross-legged and rested your chin on your hand, thinking hard about where you could find the last item you needed. Snapping your fingers and dragging yourself up as you remembered that there was some kind of fete going on around the marketplace, you ran out quickly in hopes that the well to do people hadn't left yet.

 

Glancing around briskly, the corner of your mouth twitched as you located a lady waltzing about the stalls, eyeing up her ornate silver and jade necklace, before frowning as you saw several young gentlemen was escorting her. Having not spotted anyone else wearing the metal that you needed, you leisurely walked around the stalls, stopping a few moments at each and pretending to watch the games or browse their wares, as to not bring any attention to yourself.

Reaching a part of the square that had been cordened of for dancing, you cursed when your mark entered the makeshift space with her male followers, who were now disagreeing on who should dance with her first. Squeezing in with the crowd of onlookers, you sighed in defeat as you knew there was no way that you could get to her anytime soon without being spotted, and there was too much police presence about for you to be able to just run up and snatch it.

Just before you were about to leave, you shrieked when you felt an arm snake around your waist tightly, turning around quickly to see Jacob trying to stifle a grin.

"Well that was an interesting noise you just made there, wonder what others I can make you do?"

He gave up trying to hold back his grin as you just stood there dumbfounded, your face getting hotter by the second. After what seemed like forever, you at last found your voice and turned back to see the woman still dancing away.

"You startled me, Mister Frye. What are you doing here? I thought you were on some secret mission with Evie?"

"Oh I am, trying to find Freddie. He must have actually pulled off a disguise this time. Why are you here?"

Very aware that his arm was still around you, you took a deep breath and slyly pointed to your mark, turning your head to see if he could see where you were gesturing to.

"That woman over there, I need her necklace to make Evie's cane sword. Think you can help me out with a distraction?"

His arm squeezed around you before dropping down, and he gave you a wink before pushing through the crowd to get to the other dancers. Watching him speak to the band for a moment, your face screwed up in confusion when they immediately struck up in a lively tune, and he waltzed over to the woman, interrupting the gentleman she was talking to.

The corner of your mouth twitched when she smiled as he took her hand, and began spinning and twirling her around in time of the music. _He can dance?! Is there anything this man can't do?_ After dancing with her for a few minutes, he took a deep bow when the music had finished, and headed back in your direction. Just as Jacob reached you, grinning at you wildly, it was only then that you had observed that her necklace was gone, and she was completely oblivious to her missing trinket.

"Well Mister Frye, I am impressed. Assassin, thief, dancer, whatever next?"

Before he had a chance to reply, both of your attentions snapped towards the stage area, to the woman looking around frantically and screaming.

_"Police! Thief! He stole my necklace! Police!"_

"Ooops. Time to go."

Jacob grabbed your hand and pulled you through the crowd, reaching the outskirts just as several whistles rang through the air. 

"Ready this time?"

Looking behind you to see several policemen advancing on where you were, you nodded and held onto him tightly as he shot his grappling hook out and catching it on a chimney breast, hauling you both to the rooftops. Being prepared for it this time you landed cleanly on your feet, instantly sprinting over the tiles in the direction of your shop. 

It didn't take long to lose the men trailing you, leaping from top to top had made them lose sight of you within the first few minutes. Shimmying down the side of the building next to your shop, you both ran in and slammed the door shut quickly, slightly out of breath.

"Well today has certainly been eventful, that's for sure."

Pulling off your coat and dropping it onto the bed, you walked into the front area to see Jacob sat on the edge of the table, fumbling around in his pocket.

"Just your average Tuesday for me. Here you go."

Grinning as he handed you the necklace, you dropped it on your work counter and began prying out the stones, hoping that the metal was enough for what you needed.

"Well I suppose I had better get going and find Freddie, you didn't happen to see an old lady with a beard around the market did you?"

Dropping the necklace back down and turning around to see that he was deadly serious, you burst out laughing as you imagined the Inspector in a dress.

"No Mister Frye, can't say that I did."

He grinned as he jumped down off the table and began walking towards the back door, stopping for a moment as he reached your side.

"Ah well. Oh, one more thing before I go."

Your breath caught in your throat and your heart began pounding as he wrapped one hand behind your neck, the other around your waist, pulling you firmly against him. You closed your eyes when his mouth descended on yours, gently at first, then more hungrily as a soft moan erupted in your throat. You slightly opened your mouth when his tongue brushed over the seam of your lips, flicking it over yours briefly, his hands holding you tighter as he tasted you. You let out a little whimper as he pulled away, staring up at his cheeky grin through your now dazed eyes.

"Hmmm, better than I thought. But I really do have to leave."

He trailed his fingers down your back before letting go, giving you a seductive wink as you body involuntary twitched towards him. Turning back to the necklace as he strolled out the door, a smile began creeping up your face as you decided that working with the assassins wouldn't be so bad after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Chiefy, no Jacob in this one, but the smut is coming, I promise! ;)

You were so deep in concentration melting down the silver to start making the guard for the blade, you didn't hear anyone come in until the door slammed shut.

"Evie? I'm sorry but I've not finished yet, it will take me until the end of the week as I said."

"I'm not here for the sword, I was hoping we could have a chat?"

Carefully placing the crucible back in the pit, you pulled off your gloves as you watched Evie walk around and examine your tools, the corner of your mouth twitching as she did it the same way Jacob had done when he first visited.

"Of course, what about?" you asked hesitantly.

She pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, crossing her legs as she drummed her fingers on the table casually.

"Don't look so worried, I'm not here to yell at you. Do you by any chance have tea?"

Grabbing your copper kettle and filling it with water, you sat it on the hot coals and began rummaging through your cupboard for your scarcely used teapot and cups.

"I don't have any milk I'm afraid, never quite got around to shopping much, being as I'm not supposed to be here."

Evie waved her hand dismissively then gestured for you to sit down, so you pulled out the chair next to her and perched yourself on the edge of it, fiddling with your apron nervously.

"You not supposed to be being here is one of the things I wanted to speak to you about. Henry informed me of your predicament. It occurred to me, that if you are to help us, then we need to help you."

You raised your eyebrows and started to relax slightly now you knew that you weren't about to be on the receiving end of her temper, also wondering what she meant by aiding you.

"Help me? How?"

"Tea first, then business."

 

Jumping up when you heard the water bubbling behind you, you poured it into the pot along with several spoons of leaves, and placed it on the table along with two cups and saucers, giving Evie the one that didn't have a considerable chip in it. Glancing about and breathing a sigh of relief that you at least had some sugar cubes, you placed the bowl on the table, and stared at Evie who had already poured the two cups, and was sipping from hers thoughtfully.

"That's better. Now, apart from the obvious, what can you do?"

"Do? I'm not following."

"Well you can make weapons, and you must be a pretty decent thief if you managed to steal from Jacob. So what else?"

Staring into your teacup and watching the leaves sink to the bottom, you frowned as you realised that you didn't actually have any considerable skills to offer in aiding the assassins.

"Not much I'm afraid. I do know how to use a dagger, and I have quite a few contacts in London, but that's about it."

"You might be of some help to me then. I'm trying to locate an account for an acquaintance of mine. Do you know a person named Duleep Singh?"

Fiddling with the cup in your hands, you wracked your brain to try and remember where you had heard that name before. Your face broke out into a broad smile as you remembered, as you had considered stealing from one of his aides several months ago, but had decided against it as he was too high profile.

"The Indian gentleman that's staying at Buckingham Palace? I know of him, but he's not the usual type I'd rub elbows with."

Evie smirked as she put her now empty cup back down on the table, and sat up straight as her face changed to a more sombre expression.

"That's the man. As you can imagine, having him for a contact would prove quite useful in persuading the bank for ownership of your shop back. You can come with me this afternoon to help track the account then. Now that's out of the way, there is one more matter I would like to discuss. My brother."

You coughed and spluttered as you choked on the sip of tea that you had just taken, dropping the cup on the floor, Evie laughing as it shattered around your feet.

"Well, that answers the first question I was going to ask."

Dropping to the ground and trying to hide the reddening in your cheeks as you picked up the pieces of the broken cup, you decided to ask what the question was, although you most likely already knew.

"What were you going to ask?"

"I'll save you the embarrassment, although it seems that I have managed that already. He's become quite smitten with you I've noticed, I need you to assure me that it won't interfere with our mission."

_Smitten?! With me??_

Looking up to see she was staring at you with her usual hardened gaze, it was marred by the slight of a smile that she was trying to hide.

"I can promise you it won't, on my own behalf anyway. I hope that's sufficient?"

"Quite. Shall we?"

You dropped the pieces of the cup onto the table and grabbed your coat as you followed Evie out of the door, one of the last things Henry had said to you the other day kept running over and over your mind.

_Once you are a part of this world, there is no turning back._

 

You pulled your hood down as you reached the park, easily spotting the Indian Royals black and gold clothing amongst the other people who were bustling about. You hung back as Evie approached him, not quite sure of either how to introduce yourself, or if he even wanted you there.

"Good to see you again Evie. Who is your friend?"

"The pleasure is mine, Mister Singh. This is (name) she will be helping us track down the accountant that you have been looking for."

Bowing when Evie gestured for you to come forward, you slightly relaxed when he took your hand and greeted you with a smile.

"Very well. It is a pleasure to meet you (name). I have managed to track the B.I.C account to a certain pub, I am hopeful he will have the information we need about the gold that has been stolen from the people of Punjab."

Following Evie and Duleep to the nearby pub, you smirked as you knew that this would be one thing that you knew you would be able to help with.

"Mister Singh, if I may. I might be of some assistance to you in regards to getting the information you need. I know the owner here, and I'm sure I will be able to get the location of the account from him."

Walking into the pub when Duleep gestured for you to go inside, you immediately went to the bar, the owner leaning over the counter as you approached.

"Ah (name) what can I do you for today?"

"Afternoon Will, I was wondering if you could help me with some information."

You scowled as he rubbed his forefinger and thumb together, suggesting that he wanted payment for whatever knowledge he could give you.

"I don't have anything for you, pickings have been rather slim these days. Surely you could do a favour for a friend?"

"Sorry (name) business has been slow here too, and you know how it works, money first, or these lips stay sealed."

Crossing your arms and squinting your eyes at him in annoyance, the corner of your mouth twitched when you thought of something that could entice him into giving you what you wanted.

"Well put it this way, tell me what I need to know, or I'll tell John the Tosser you've been skimming off the top of his dealings. Well look at that, he's right over there, and you know I've got a big mouth."

"You wouldn't dare."

Taking a deep breath and looking over towards the mountain of a man, you shouted out in a sing-song voice, calling the bar keeps bluff.

"Oh, Joooooooohn."

"Fine!" Will hissed as he grabbed your arm.

You blew the blighter a kiss and waved at him as he looked up, grimacing when he winked at you, before turning your attention back towards the bar.

"Alright, grab me by the family jewel's why don't ya. What did you wanna know?"

You sniggered and smiled sweetly as you grabbed the half of beer he just poured you, taking a long gulp while you waited for him to finish serving another customer so that no one could hear you talk.

"Looking for an accountant, supposedly works for the B.I.C?"

"That it?! You just missed him. He headed to the bank with a couple of men I'd never seen before... Which is odd because the bank isn't even open now that I think about it."

Knocking back the rest of the beer, you turned to head outside back to Evie and Duleep, waving your hand as Will called out to you when you left.

_"You owe me one!"_

"Found him, he went to the bank with a couple of odd chaps, but the banks closed, so how are we gonna get in?"

"There's always a way. To the bank it is then."

You smiled as Evie's looked quite impressed that you had gotten the information so quickly, following her to a nearby empty carriage and climbing up and sitting next to Mister Singh on the end seat. You were thankful that she didn't drive quite as recklessly as Jacob, but still fast enough that it only took you mere minutes to reach the bank.

"Evie, (name) and I will secure a safe route before following you inside, go first, we will join you soon."

Following Duleep down the side of the bank, you were beginning to wonder why he kept giving you questioning glances, finally gathering the nerve to ask him why when he stopped to pick the side door.

"Is something the matter Mister Singh?"

Hiding behind a desk next to him when you spotted a blighter as soon as you entered the bank, your eyes widened as he passed you several intricate throwing knives, before hurling one straight at the man's head, making him drop dead to the floor instantly.

"Not at all. I was just didn't realise that Evie had someone working with her. Are you an assassin also?"

You unintentionally scoffed as you followed him down the hall and hid in a doorway, becoming very nervous when he signalled for you to take out the next gang member. You knew how to throw a blade, but you had never killed anyone before, and your hesitation nearly got you detected. Swallowing hard when the blighter was only a couple of feet away, you pulled out your dagger and gathered up all the courage you could muster, jumping out and clapping your hand over the mans face whilst sinking the blade in his back as he walked by you, just as you had seen Jacob do in your shop.

Trembling slightly as you dragged the body into the adjacent room, you turned back to your regal colleague, who was still waiting for you to answer him.

"Um, no I'm not. I'm just a friend. She's helping me get back my shop that got repossessed by this bank, so in return, well, here I am. Plus I want to see London rid of those damned blighters, so it's all win-win really."

His eyes widened as you spoke, continuing down the hall and to the stairs that would lead you down to the vault, keeping a sharp eye out for any more assailants.

"I see. If it makes any difference, I wouldn't have known that you weren't, if you hadn't have told me. I also thank you for aiding me in retrieving the gold that was stolen from the people of Punjab. There aren't many men, or women that I know of that would do such a thing for someone they didn't know."

You grinned wildly at being complimented twice in quick succession, which quickly faltered as you spied Evie hiding behind a rack adorned with gold bars just as you got to the vault. Creeping in and crouching down beside her, you peeked around the corner to see who you assumed was the accountant, on the floor cowering as two Templars barraged him with questions.

"We need to take them out quickly, without being seen. Mr Singh?" Evie called out in a hushed tone.

Taking a step back to give Evie some space as she pulled out a throwing knife, you watched her throw it with deadly accuracy at the Templar on the right, the one on the left dropping to the floor as Duleep's gun rang through the air. All three of you ran over to the shaking man, wincing as you saw he had been beaten quite severely.

"We need to get him out of here quickly, if we do not, he will most surely die," said Duleep as he gestured for you to help him pick the man up off the floor.

Looking around quickly as you heard a grinding sound, followed by a man's voice that seemed to be getting closer, you bore most of the man's weight as you draped his arm over your shoulders letting Evie and Singh lead the way out, eliminating any blighters that came across your path.

"Evie, we need to hurry, he's getting worse... Oh crap!"

Just as you got to the main floor of the bank, you were immediately confronted by six Templars, all of which had their weapons drawn and advancing on you quickly. Reacting before your brain had a chance to kick in and process what was happening, you dropped the man carefully against the nearby pillar and drew out your dagger, ready to fight anyone who came your way.

Thankfully, Evie had taken on the two big brutes and one other, Duleep was busy fending off two more, which left just the one woman blighter to you. Managing to dodge out of the way when she lunged at you with a small blade, you quickly retaliated by punching her in the back, which sent her skidding across the floor further away from you. Your lack of experience began to show as she hurled herself at you again, only barely managing to block her attack with your own dagger and pushing her away.

You started panicking when it became harder and harder to fend her off, gasping and raising your hand to your cheek as the edge of her knife grazed you, making a small trickle of blood run down your chin. Bracing yourself when she charged at you again, you exhaled loudly when a gunshot rang through the air, the woman collapsing to the floor about a foot away from you.

"Are you alright (name)?" 

Nodding as you took Duleep's hand and pulled yourself up, you gingerly touched your cheek, sighing as the cut didn't feel as bad as you initially thought. You rushed over and helped the now sickly looking accountant back up, nearly dragging him across the foyer as you watched Evie finish off the last blighter.

Finally making it to the street, Evie helped you carry the man towards the carriage that Mr Singh had run to, opening the door and gesturing for you to put him inside.

"Quickly, in here, I will take him to the hospital. I thank you, Evie, (name), we shall reconvene later."

"Not bad for your first adventure (name)."

You turned to Evie and grinned after watching Duleep speed off in the carriage, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the now drying blood off your cheek.

"Thank you, Miss Frye. I don't know about you, but I could use a drink after that. Pub?"

"Pub." chuckled Evie with a smirk.


	6. Chapter 6

As you had predicted, it hadn't taken you as long to finish make Evie's weapon as it had Jacobs, even with losing time helping her a few days ago. Grabbing your polishing cloth, you began softly rubbing the obsidian lion you had carved for the end of the handle, bringing it to a lustrous shine. Turning around as you heard the door open, your eyebrows raised in surprise as you saw Jacob walk in with his usual cheery smile, before turning back to carry on polishing.

"Mister Frye? Don't you ever knock?"

"Why? In case you had a gentleman caller?"

"I don't have 'gentleman callers'," you said absentmindedly as you carried on rubbing, freezing for a moment when you realised what you just said.

"What, never?"

You could feel the heat rising in your face when you heard him walking closer, silently cursing yourself as you dipped the cloth in the tin of polish. _Why did you just say that?! Stupid mouth, who needs anyone else to embarrass you when you're doing such a brilliant job yourself?!_

"Once." _Oh my god shut up shut up!!_ "Anyway, I was expecting Evie, her swords finished."

Your heart jumped in your throat when he leaned over and took the cane out of your hands, stepping back and unsheathing it, eyes narrowing in scrutiny.

"She's off galavanting about with some royal bloke. Why, are you complaining? I hope this isn't better than mine, they'll be no living with her."

"If you're implying that I should intentionally do shoddy work, I'm insulted."

You turned back around to see he had a devilish grin on his face, which soon dropped as soon as he saw the mark on your cheek. You cocked your head to one side as you wondered what he was staring at, as you had completely forgotten the cut was even there.

"Evie mentioned that she took you out on a mission, didn't say that you got hurt though."

You gasped as he cupped your chin in his hand, his thumb gently stroking along the half-healed mark that ran from the top of your cheekbone, down to nearly the corner of your mouth.

"Hmm, yes. Bit off a bit more than I could chew. It's fine."

"Thought you said you knew how to use a dagger?" he jeered at you.

Frowning in slight annoyance as he sheathed Evie's sword and placed it back on the table, you pulled off your gloves and apron and threw them on top of it, before crossing your arms and glaring at him.

"I do thank you very much. Well enough against any old bloke, bit different going up against a Templar."

Your eyes narrowed as Jacob grinned at you and rubbed his thumb on the creases in your brow, before grabbing your hands and pulling you up from your seat.

"Don't be like that, I was only teasing. You just need a bit of practice, and lucky for you, I happen to be an excellent teacher. Where's your dagger?"

"What?! Here? Now?"

Jacob lay his hands on your hips and moved you to stand in the middle of the room, your stomach now feeling like it was filled with butterflies when he grabbed your dagger off of your workstation and pressed it into your hand, before standing closely behind you.

"Why not? I've got nothing to do today, and you've finished Evie's sword, might as well do something productive. Now, move your right leg forward slightly and bend your knee a bit, that'll stop anyone from knocking you down."

Unable to move apart from turning your head to the side, your mouth formed a small O as you stared at him, the fluttering in your stomach getting worse as he pressed himself up against you and used his leg to push your own forwards.

"Ah, I forgot you found me 'distracting'. It's the hat isn't it, ladies love the hat. That better?"

Rubbing your face quickly as he turned around and dropped his top hat on the table and ran his fingers through his hair, your mouth ran dry as he resumed his position behind you, guiding your body into a proper fighting stance. Your eyes widened as he moved in front of you and pulled out his Kukri, and mimicked the way you were standing.

"Right, try and stop me. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

You yelped and raised your dagger as he swung out at you, catching your blade in the serrated edge of his and pulling hard, making him drop it with a clang as it hit the floor.

"Okaaaaay, maybe not that easy." He chuckled as he bent down to pick his weapon up off of the floor.

He resumed his position in front of you and lunged out at you overhead this time, a curl of a smile appearing on your face as the parry ended with the exact same outcome. His eyes narrowed at you playfully as he undid his coat, shrugging it off quickly and throwing it to the side, before turning his blade backwards so you couldn't use the edge to your advantage anymore.

Without being able to do do the same manoeuvre again, the next time didn't go as well as before. Jacobs blade slid over your own, and the force span you around to face in the opposite direction and stumble forwards.

Turning back and regaining your posture, small moan erupted from your throat when he stood behind you again and corrected the way you were standing, your eyes widening when he reached around and used the tip of his blade to cut the top button off your shirt.

"Every time you lose, one of them comes off." He whispered huskily in your ear.

Swallowing hard and looking down at your shirt to see that there were only four buttons left, you battled with the arousal building inside you and prepared for him to attack again.

"What about you Mister Frye? You've lost twice, and still have all of yours."

Noticing he made the same move again this time, you had managed to twist your wrist and catch your dagger on the back edge, bending his hand back almost painfully which made him drop his blade. Your breathing started getting heavier when he picked up his Kukri again and pulled the red tie over his head, dropping it on top of his coat and grinning at you wickedly.

"Evie would kill me if I wrecked this lot already, so they'll be no cutting of mine. Although I do think that you're getting the better deal."

Not giving him a chance to be ready, you lunged out in hopes of catching him off guard, but you did so with little avail. He grabbed your hand as you advanced, swinging his leg around behind yours and making you fall back, squealing as he caught you with his free arm. You bit your bottom lip as he let go of your wrist, swopping his arms while still keeping you leaned back, his eyes drifting over you as he decided which button to cut off next.

"Oooh, there's that noise again. Can I ask you something?"

"Hmmm?" Was all you could manage as you watched him settle on cutting off the button just above your navel, before pulling you back up and taking a few steps back, ready to attack again.

"You call Evie by her name and Greenie, Henry, but still insist on calling me 'Mister Frye'. Why?"

Quickly stepping to the side as he leapt forwards, you pushed him in the small of his back, sending him crashing into the table behind you. Squeezing your legs together briefly to try and sate some of the ache that was furiously growing between them, which didn't work in the slightest, you hesitantly walked over to him as he placed his Kukri on the table, and gestured for you to take off his shirt.

Placing your dagger down next to his, you tried to look anywhere but his face as you brought up your now trembling hands, tugging his shirt out from his trousers and slowly began undoing the buttons.

"Um, because they asked me to?"

"That's it?"

Nodding and pushing his shirt over his shoulders, you couldn't help but notice him shudder as your nails grazed his back when you continued to push the fabric down his arms. Only just managing to resist the urge to run your hands over his chest and trace your fingers over his tattoo, you grabbed your dagger off the table when his clothing hit the floor, stepping back a few paces so you could continue the charade of training.

"In that case, I formally request that you call me by my name from now on."

"I already do, Mister Frye."

Smirking when he scowled and picked up his own weapon before walking up to you, stopping less than a foot away, you looked up at him confusedly when he in a split second cut off the bottom two buttons of your shirt, leaving only the one between your breasts left.

"That was for being cheeky, you know what I meant."

"If you insist."

Barely able to concentrate anymore, you struck out aimlessly, which let him catch your wrist easily again and spin you around so that your back crashed up against his chest. Dropping your dagger when he wrapped his arms around you, you bit your lip and breathed harshly through your nose as he cut off the last button, making your shirt part to reveal most of your breasts.

"I do insist. Seems that you've run out of buttons," he mumbled in your ear, his voice now thick with lust. 

You jumped when he dropped his Kukri on the table behind him and raised his hands to the collar of your shirt, slowly pushing it down to your elbows, trailing his fingers down your arms that made you twitch against him. You held back a moan when you felt his lips on your neck, planting a trail of wet kisses all the way down before blowing on the damp skin, making you shiver, goosebumps raising and your nipples harden instantly.

"Nuh-uh, don't you stop those noises, do you have any idea what you're doing to me?"

Whimpering when he curled his hands around and cupped your breasts, his thumbs grazing gently over the stiff peaks that made tingles run straight down your spine, you gulped as you knew _exactly_ what you did to him, judging by the hardness you could feel pressing up against your leg.

You tried to step forward so you could shake off your shirt that was pinning your arms to your sides, but it seemed that Jacob had other ideas. Holding it in place as he turned you around to face him, he captured your lips with his hungrily, which you eagerly returned, instantly parting your mouth when you felt his tongue probe the same way as before.

Now that you were facing him, you managed to bring your hands up to his waist and skim your fingers over the top of his trousers, which made him jerk and pull away slightly to smile against your lips.

_Oh he's ticklish?_

He let go of your shirt when you did it again, but grabbed your hands so you couldn't move the infernal fabric that was stopping you from touching him.

"Naughty girl." he breathed against your cheek.

You giggled slightly when you kissed him again, wrapping your legs around him when he ducked down slightly and curled one arm behind your back, the other under your rear and lifted you up with ease, carrying you in the direction of your bed.

He didn't once break the kiss as he lowered down to sit on the edge of the bed, even after crashing into the table and your workstation on the way, his tongue lashing against yours feverishly that forced you to pull away so you could catch your breath eventually. He pulled you tighter against him, making your nipples rub up against the coarse hair on his chest, sending a trail of fire through you that began collecting between your legs as he fumbled behind you for a moment. He looked up and grinned at you when you tried to move your arms again but couldn't, quickly realising that he'd tied your shirt so you couldn't get free.

"Mister Frye, please....." you stuttered through your little breaths, inhaling sharply when he completely ignored you and twisted around to lay you on the bed. 

Struggling against your bonds as he leaned over and took one of your stiff peaks in his mouth, he gently sucked and bit while his hand came up to give the other one attention, rolling your nipple between his fingers, making you arch your back from the bed. You pursed your lips together to stop the moan from spilling over them, refusing to make any sound unless he untied you.

It didn't take long for him to realise what you were doing, feeling him smile against your breast before working his mouth lower, kissing a line down and over your stomach, stopping when he hit the edge of your trousers.

"Oh, you wanna play it like that do you? You've already lost against me once, what makes you think you can win this time?" he growled against your stomach.

You looked down to see a seductive grin spread over his face as he began slowly undoing your buttons, smirking and clenching your jaw tight in determination in playing his little game. You knew you wouldn't be able to keep this up for long as he pushed your trousers down as far as they would go; pausing for a moment to pull off your boots and throw them across the room before tugging them off the rest of the way, chuckling as your eyes widened when he moved back down to kiss just below your navel.

Your heart was pounding as he spread open your legs and propped himself up on his elbows between them, tracing a single finger up the inside of your thigh, his calloused skin feeling exquisite against your own, making you shudder.

"Come on (name), open your pretty mouth, that's all I want."

A heavy blush rose up your face as he continued with his finger, tracing it up the side of your lips, across, and down the other side.

"Do you always get what you want? Mister Frye?" you managed to utter, barely controlling the shaking in your voice.

"Most of the time, it depends."

You jolted when he moved his finger lower as he reached the top of your mound again, brushing over your aching bud that was screaming for harsher touch.

"D..d..depends on what?"

Biting the inside of your cheek hard enough so that it drew blood when he did the same movement again, but you still managed to keep quiet while you waited for him to answer.

"On how much I want something of course."

Squirming around when he slid his thumb between your folds, running it up and down through the drips of your arousal before circling around your nub that sent little waves of pleasure unfurling through you, you were even more sure now that you weren't going to give in easily.

"And just how much do you want... this?"

You curled your fingers into the blanket tightly when he slid a digit deep inside you in reply, almost faltering when he wiggled it around and brushed up against a sensitive patch that made the intensity of your pleasure double immediately. Looking down to see his eyes widen at your reaction to what he did, he hesitantly squeezed in another finger and twisted in the same way, the corner of his mouth twitching when you tightened up as he hit the same patch again.

"Hmmm, looks like I've found something interesting."

Letting out a shuddering breath when he began to pump his fingers in and out of you slowly, your jaw began to hurt with clenching so hard, as the dull ache in your abdomen began to grow quickly with each movement of his hand. Your legs began to tremble when he gently added a third finger, stretching you almost painfully, but distracting you by nibbling at the skin on the inside of your thighs. Once the uncomfortableness had subsided, and he felt you relax slightly around him, he continued his movements, the pressure deep inside your abdomen filling to almost breaking point. Catching his gaze again through half-lidded eyes, your rapid breathing betraying how close you were to climaxing, you saw that all playfulness had dropped from his face, and only lust and desire remained.

"I don't care anymore (name), I just want to make you feel good." 

Your hips bucked up, and you threw your head back, moaning loudly when he moved his thumb and clamped his mouth over your clit and sucked hard, the last push you needed that sent your orgasm spilling over you, raging fire so intense coarsing through your veins that it made bright lights dance before your eyes and your body convulse beneath him.

Dropping back down onto the bed as the electrifying waves began to subside, you whimpered when he withdrew his fingers and crawled up over you, pulling you up so he could untie the shirt from around your back. Flexing your arms to return some feeling into them, you groggily looked up to see he had a satisfied smirk on his face as he licked your essence off his fingers.

"I've never met anyone as stubborn as me before." he murmured in your ear as he leant over to help you finish pulling off the shirt.

Glancing down to what was a rather sizeable and probably very painful erection in his trousers, it made the waves of arousal stir up again, and your eyes dance as you decided on how you would repay him for his teasing. _Let's see how he likes it..._

Thankful that a little bit of your energy had come back, you managed to grab ahold of his shoulders and twist him around, sending him crashing to the bed on his back, allowing you to straddle over him and kiss him deeply. Tasting the faint bite of your climax on his lips, it sent a fresh surge of desire through you, making you slightly more confident in going through with your plan, as nervous as you were for never having done it before.

Pulling away and sitting up, you took the opportunity to run your hands over his chest, feeling every strong muscle tense up under your feather-like touch. Sliding your hands down and drifting over the top of his trousers, you slowly began tugging them open, a sly smile on your face as he raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"Oh, you have no idea just how stubborn I can be. I have one rule, touch me, and I stop. Understand?"

"Wait, what? You know you could have gotten out....nnnnnngh....."

Jacob closed his eyes and clenched his fists as you finally managed to undo his trousers and slide your hand underneath the fabric, wrapping your hand around him and stroking gently. Easing his cock out of its confines, your eyes widened and you swallowed hard, realising that this was not going to be as easy as you hoped it would be. Noticing your startled impression, he sat up slightly and caught your wrist, genuine worry in his eyes as his thumb stroked the back of your hand.

"We don't have to do this, if you want to stop."

Using your free hand to pry his fingers off of you and push him back down, so he leaned up on his elbows, you let go of him and hooked your fingers around the top of his trousers, and began slowly pulling them down. Dropping them to the floor along with his boots, you sat back over his legs again and trailed your finger all the way up the thick vein on the underside of his shaft, that was now bobbing with the weight against his stomach, before collecting the drips that were leaking from his tip and rubbing them along his length. Giving him a seductive wink as you clasped your fingers around him again, you began moving slowly, slightly unsure if what you were doing was right.

"Remember, no touching."

The low growl that erupted from his chest let you know that he was enjoying what you were doing, giving you the confidence to take things a bit further. Sliding your hand down and leaning forwards, you stuck out your tongue and tentatively licked around his head, pausing for a moment as you considered the taste. Salty, and slightly bitter, but by no means bad. Your eyes smiled as you suddenly plunged your mouth over him, using your other hand to hold his hips down as he thrust up and moaned loudly at the sensation of your hot mouth surrounding him.

Using the hand that was on his hip to judge what he liked best from his movements, you took him further back into your mouth, stopping just before he hit the back of your throat, wiggling your tongue against him as you drew back up. Noticing him tense up and shudder when you reached the tip, you gently sucked and flicked your tongue over the groove, which made him instantly reach down and run his fingers in your hair.

Making good on your warning, you let go and pulled away slightly, looking up to see his eyes almost black with lust as he pulled his hand back quickly.

"I can't even do that?" he breathed out heavily as he flopped down onto the bed and pouted at you.

"Nope, not even that."

Smiling and shaking your head as he slid his hands underneath his back to try and stop himself from reaching down again, you moved back forwards and continued what you were doing, now keeping your eyes fixed on him, looking for any hint that he might move again.

Pressing your tongue up firmly against him, you began a series of quick bobs, eliciting a delicious sounding groan tearing from his throat, making you realise why he didn't want you to keep quiet. Hearing him like this was nothing short of intoxicating, and it made you double your efforts, sucking and licking as he began to unravel under you.

You released him from your mouth with a loud pop when you felt his hand underneath your chin, encouraging you to climb up on top of him.

"That's enough, I'm not gonna last much longer."

That suited you just fine for now as you were extremely worked up again, hoping that he also wanted to do what you had planned next. Jacob rolled you both onto your sides and kissed you deeply, which you were surprised at, given what you had just been doing, and went to reach down to bring himself to his own climax. He pulled away breathlessly and gazed at you questioningly as you nudged his hand away, then startled as you hooked your leg over his hip, making his cock slip through your folds.

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."

Biting your lip and nodding as you took his shaft in your hand and lined him up with your entrance, you lifted your head so he could wrap his arm around you, holding you tightly as he watched your face attentively for any indication that you wanted him to stop.

He held on to your leg as he pushed his hips forward slowly, stopping for a moment when he saw you wince slightly at him stretching you almost painfully. Moving forwards again bit by bit, stopping every few moments to allow you to get accustomed to him, you let out a shuddering sigh when he was eventually fully sheathed inside of you, the stretching ache rapidly diminishing.

Capturing his lips in yours again, you grasped hold of his arm and pulled him with your leg, whimpering in his mouth as he began to gently rock against you, feeling him quiver as he strained in holding himself back from plunging into you with abandon. All discomfort was forgotten as he started to move quicker, each thrust caressing the sensitive spot that made your walls instinctively clamp around him, causing him break the kiss and gasp.

"Oh god..... can you do that again?" He uttered against your lips, his voice shaking with desire.

You smiled when you realised what he was talking about, squeezing your already tight heat around him even more, making him tremble, and his thrusts become more erratic as the sensations pushed him closer to the edge. You held on to him tightly as a ragged moan tore from his throat at the intensity of the pleasure that ripped through him, his hips juddering as he spilt himself into your depths. 

Stroking his arm and letting out a soft sigh as you waited for him to catch his breath, you squealed as he rolled you on your back and planted sloppy kisses all over your cheek and neck.

"Well you're just full of surprises, aren't you."

Tracing his tattoo with your fingertips and smiling coyly when he propped himself up on his elbows above you, you twitched when he trailed his finger across your jaw and over your lips.

"Hmm. I've never actually done anything like that before."

Jacob raised his eyebrow when you blushed faintly at your admission, suddenly feeling slightly nervous as he just stared at you, the corner of his lips finally curving into his usual mischievous smile.

"So when you said once......."

"Uh huh."

You squirmed slightly when his hand brushed down your side, making his softening cock slip out of you and his cum tickle as it dripped out between your legs and onto the bed.

"How come? Would have thought a pretty thing like you would have plenty of blokes knocking at your door."

"Don't know really, been too busy I suppose. Not to mention that the first time was so terrible, I guess I didn't have any interest in doing it again."

Shuddering as he continued to run his fingers down your side, you couldn't help but grin when he slid his other arm underneath you, his eyes dancing playfully whilst he watched you squirm.

"Until I came along? I'm flattered. Well, I'm very interested in doing that again....." 

His voice trailed off as he kissed your neck, his beard rubbing against you that sent delicious tingles down your spine.

"And again...." _another kiss_ "And again......"

You squeaked when he bit down on a particularly sensitive bit just above your collarbone, playfully slapping his arm when he began sucking just hard enough to leave a mark.

"Oh, really? Well you won't hear me saying no."

"Good. Do you have anything to drink around here? I'm parched."

You grinned as he pulled you up to sitting, kissing you briefly before clambering off the bed in search of his clothes.

"Erm, tea? That's it," you called out as he wandered off to the other room, giggling as he poked his head around the corner and grimaced you.

"To the pub it is then. My treat."

Studying your shirt that he had just picked up and thrown at you, you frowned as you put it back on, not having another to wear.

"You can treat me to another shirt too while you're at it, I don't fancy parading around London half naked."

You shook your head and smirked when he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, quickly pulling on the rest of your clothes and pinning your shirt to cover your modesty, before heading out the door with Jacobs' arm draped over your shoulders.


	7. Chapter 7

"(Name), are you listening to me?"

Looking up to see Henry frowning at you again, you turned your attention back to the photos that he had strewn about on his counter.

"Yeah, I've got it. Pearl Starrick, Crawford Attaway, Templars, bad guys, death to them all."

Henry dropped the picture he was holding down with an exasperated sigh, making you smirk as he put his hands on his hips the same way that you had noticed Evie did.

"It's Pearl Attaway and Crawford Starrick. This is really important, if you are not going to take it seriously....."

"I am! Its, well, just a lot to take in. You forget that I'm not like you lot, roaming about killing people, looking for some Eden thing."

His face softened a touch as you turned back and scrutinised the pictures again, placing his hand on top of yours and squeezing your fingers gently.

"You are right, I do keep forgetting. But you also said you were sure you wanted to get involved. Have you changed your mind? Or is there something else that keeps your attention wandering?"

A slight heat crept up your face when he looked at you with a knowing smirk, making you clear your throat and fidget in your seat.

"You're not in a position to say anything, I've seen the way you look at Evie."

You sniggered when it was his turn to rattle slightly, made even worse when you reached into your pocket and dropped something gently onto the counter.

"Here, she asked me to give you this when she picked up her sword. Thought men were supposed to give women flowers, not the other way around."

Jumping off your stool when Henry walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a book, you leant over his shoulder when he opened it and carefully placed the dried flower in an empty page, grabbing a pen and writing something very neatly underneath it.

"Wait, you collect flowers? What's Mignonette? Never seen that before."

"It means, 'Your qualities surpass your charms'. And yes, I collect flowers. Evie has been helping me fill my book."

You grinned when he flipped through the pages enthusiastically, having never seen him quite so excited about anything before in the two years that you had known him.

"Awww how sweet. Learn something new about you every day."

His eyes narrowed as he snapped the book shut and put it back in the cabinet, then grabbed a pile of papers and slid them in front of you.

"I see that Jacob's brazen disposition is beginning to rub off on you (name). Now, let us focus on the matter at hand shall we? There is much to do."

 

 

Pulling up your hood when it started drizzling slightly, you followed Henry down towards the docks, smirking to yourself when you spotted a rather well to do gentleman amongst a small crowd. Veering off to the right, you snuck up behind him and quickly slipped your hand into his right coat pocket. Slyly catching your fingers around the string of his coin bag, you tugged it out and pulled it up your sleeve unnoticed, before jogging back to Henry who faced you with a disappointed look.

"What? A girls gotta eat. So what are we doing around here?"

Now that you were out of sight of the crowd, you dropped the bag from out from your sleeve, frowning as you pocketed the shilling and a few pennies that you had managed to take, before discarding the bag on the floor behind you.

"Merely evesdropping and gathering information. Anything that could help us ruin Templar plans, and the docks are full of people with loose lips."

"That it? Sounds boring."

You grimaced when Henry threw you yet _another_ disgruntled look, your attention flickering to a woman who was screaming at a nearby vendor. Raising your eyebrows and gesturing for him to follow you, you paused for a moment when he didn't move.

"Being an assassin is not all fun and games (name), it requires thought, and planning. You cannot just run off creating havoc. You've seen the trouble Jacob gets himself into, leaving others to clean up his mess."

Sighing and linking your arm through his, you pulled him in the direction of the woman who was now shrieking and flapping about, admitting to yourself that he was probably right.

"I know, I know, it's just that it is somewhat more exciting than what I've been doing for the past few months, so you can't really blame me for being slightly enthusiastic can you? Now, shall we see what this woman's fussing about?"

You poked him in the chest gently when he gave in and flashed you a soft smile, allowing you to drag him over to the vendor so you could hear what was going on properly. Your brow furrowed as you listened to her rant and rage at the man who was selling bottles of what you assumed was tonic, accusing him of making her husband even sicker.

_"Look at him! Just look at him! Your syrup is turning him simple headed!"_

Nudging Henry in the arm, you pointed towards the sign that the vendor had up on the front of his stall, noticing that it had the name 'Starrick' brandished all over it.

"See (name), sometimes just wandering about can prove useful. We should find Jacob or Evie, and let them investigate this matter."

"Did someone say my name?"

You shrieked when you felt a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist from behind you, grinning when Jacob leaned over your shoulder and kissed your cheek.

"Speak of the devil..."

Feeling your face get hot when Henry stared at you, who was trying to stop the corner of his lips twitching in a smile, you flashed him a wide grin and reached behind your back to run your fingers over Jacobs' stomach, making him wriggle and drop his arms from around you. Turning around and brushing your lips against his briefly, you grabbed his shoulders and turned him to face the quarrel that was still going on.

"Perfect timing. We've got something here that needs your attention."

Turning back to Henry to see him sigh and shake his head at the exact same time as you when Jacob grinned wickedly and rubbed his hands together, you stepped back to stay out of the way when he walked over to the now exasperated salesman.

"So... How long has this been going on for?"

Looking up at Henry out of the corner of your eye to see he was smirking at you, you kept your attention on the vendor to try and distract you from the flutterings that had started in your stomach.

"A bit nosey aren't you?"

Your eyebrows raised when Jacob smacked a blade out of the man's hand, making him turn on his heel and run away.

"Why do they always run? Come on (name) time for your next adventure." 

Breaking out into a sprint alongside Jacob and following him down to the banks, leaving Henry stood there chuckling and shaking his head, you grimaced when the vendor jumped down the decks and tried to escape by going through the sewers.

"I'll follow him down, you stay up top and try and cut him off."

Nodding and weaving around the crates to head in the direction where the tunnels ended, you clambered quickly up the nearby wall and sped across the busy streets, making several people call out as you pushed by them. Reaching the end of the sewers just behind the two men, you snatched up an apple from a nearby cart and hurled it through the air, hitting the man straight in the head and making him stumble to the ground.

Resting your hands on your knees as you tried to catch your breath, you grinned when Jacob dragged the man up from the ground, holding tightly to his shirt collar as he asked him about the medicine.

"Now, tell me where that syrup originates." 

"I'm just trying to make a livin! All I know is they make a run every day, between the gasometers and the asylum."

Jacob pushed the man away and watched him run off for a moment before turning back to you, cupping your chin in his hand and caressing your lips with his thumb.

"Nice throw, Ready for more?"

Grinning and nodding as he dropped his hand and started running again, you trailed closely behind, just managing to keep up as he headed towards the train tracks. Crossing over the rails and climbing down to hide behind a wall, your eyebrows raised in confusion when Jacob stared out into the distance, deep in concentration.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, that's a secret. Next bits for you, see that bloke over there getting on the back of that carriage? He's got some plans that we need, would you grab them for me? Without letting him know of course."

Staring out to where he was pointing, you stood there dumbfounded for a moment as you could barely see him in the distance, let alone hear him, wondering how on earth he could know that.

"Erm yeah, sure. How...."

He grabbed your arm and pulled you into the street before you could finish your question, dragging a man off a nearby carriage and jumping in the driver's seat, extending his hand to pull you up alongside him. Grabbing hold of the side and bracing yourself as he cracked the reins, you tried to stifle a giggle as he began talking to the mare that was pulling the cart.

"Who's a good horse. You are."

He grinned and shrugged his shoulders as he noticed you staring at him, before whipping the reins again so you could catch up to the man who had now stopped at a nearby factory. The carriage had barely stopped when he jumped out, catching you as you lept out straight after, making your way down the side of the factory where several workers were striking. 

"There he is, go and do your thing."

Yelping when he slapped your ass and pushed you forwards towards the crowd, you threw him a cheeky wink before pushing your way into the mob of outraged workers, waiting for the ridiculously large man to make his way over to where you were stood.

You started to become irritated when he never came anywhere close to where you were, so you crept closer, keeping yourself from view as you realised that you stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the labourers.

Finally spotting your chance when everyone started to get more riled up and began shoving each other to get to their boss, you pushed one of the more heavier built men straight into the foreman, allowing you to sneak your hand into his waistcoat from behind him and pull out a sheet of paper without him knowing anything had happened.

Just after you had managed to stuff it in your coat, you froze when you felt a meaty hand grip your arm tightly. Looking up to see the giant man leering down at you, your chest began to pound when you thought you had been caught.

"Ello darlin' whats a lovely thing like you doin' around 'ere?"

Looking behind you quickly to see Jacob about to jump out of his hiding spot, you wafted your hand behind your back, hoping that he would take the hint that you were okay. Trying not to grimace when the man licked his lips as his eyes drifted over you, you managed to twist your arm so that he loosened his grip enough so that you could pull yourself free. Wracking your brain to remember a name out of the pictures that Henry had shown you this morning, the corner of your mouth twitched as one came to mind that would help you out of this predicament.

"Sorry love, your not my type. Mister Lynch is however, have you seen him about?"

His face twisted in panic as he took a step back and raised his hands up, fearful of going near you again.

"Victor? No darlin'. Might wanna try the Strand."

Imitating the tipping of a hat and turning on your heel quickly, you briskly walked back over to where Jacob was hidden behind the wall, pulling out the paper and handing it to him.

"There you go, nothing to it."

Watching him study the document for a moment then fold it up and tuck it into his coat, you became acutely aware of your legs that were starting to ache through all this running about, when you followed Jacob in the direction he had suddenly darted off to.

"Now where?"

"The man we want is in charge of a fighting club at the foundry."

Grateful that he had slowed his pace slightly when he had noticed you getting slightly tired, your brow furrowed when you could only recall one person who you knew did fighting events.

"Wait, it's not Robert is it??"

"Nope, some other bloke. Though I'm sure Robert will be happy when I take out his competition."

Skidding to a halt when you finally reached the foundry, you perched yourself on the edge of a nearby stack of pallets as you rubbed the stitch in your side, sticking your tongue out when Jacob chuckled at you.

"You wait here, I'll find the distribution boss. Keep an eye out for blighters for me?"

Grinning as he brushed your jaw with his knuckles before bounding off into the factory, you glanced about for any signs of red shirts as you massaged your aching calf. Slipping off the pallets and crouching down behind them when you spotted two big brutes heading towards the main gate, you looked around furiously for a way to distract them.

Not finding anything nearby, you decided that the only way to get them to stop guarding the door was to get them to chase you. Taking a deep breath, you made your way around to the side of the factory and crept up behind the blighter on the left, who was deep in conversation with the other, and not so subtlety slipped your hand in his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. Jumping back and smirking when he turned around to face you, you waggled them in front of him and set about quickly, running towards the street.

_"Oi! Get back here ya little shit!"_

Glancing back to see both the men chasing you just as Jacob emerged from the factory, pushing a man in a long black coat to the ground, you threw him a wave and jumped onto the back of a nearby carriage that was speeding by. Tossing the keys into the street when you had got far enough away from your pursuers, who had stopped coming after you not long after you had gotten on the cart, you glanced around and breathed a sigh of relief when you noticed that you were travelling roughly in the direction if your shop.

Jumping off when you were only a few streets away from your destination, you lazily walked the rest of the way, panicking when you saw three well-dressed people stood right outside your shop. You recognised one of them as the bank managers assistant, but the obviously very rich couple, you had no idea who they were. Keeping your distance until the couple finally left, you hesitantly walked over to the banker, who was now busy putting back on the padlock and chains around the door.

"Mister Allen? Who were those people?" you asked quietly, not even sure that he had heard you until he turned to you after clicking the padlock firmly shut.

"(Name)? I'm sorry to tell you dear, but they are very interested in buying your store."

You lowered your head in dismay as you fought to hold back your tears, mentally kicking yourself for getting so distracted from trying to get enough money to prevent this from happening. Apart from making Evie's sword, in which she had paid you generously for, you had done nothing else to aid your plight. Looking back up at him with pleading eyes, you hoped to appeal to his softer side, which you found out he had last time you went to the bank, him being the only person even slightly sympathetic to your situation.

"Please, just give me more time. I can get the money, isn't there anything you can do to put them off?"

"Not really, they've been after this place for a while, they want to make it into a bakery. The only thing that was stopping them was the abundance of criminal activity around here, but that seems to have almost stopped for some reason."

Cursing under your breath when you realised that it was your own fault that the blighters were staying away, the corner of your mouth twitched when you came up with an idea to scare off the potential buyers.

"I see. Thank you for talking to me Mister Allen. Hopefully I will see you again soon."

Standing rooted to the spot as he tipped his hat and left, you ran around to the back door as soon as he was out of sight, banging on it with your fists when you found out it was also locked tight. Making your way back round to the front, you glanced up at the clock to see it was just after four and began running as fast as you could to the pub.


	8. Chapter 8

Pacing in front of the bar, you flicked your eyes to the door when someone walked in, frowning when it wasn't the person you wanted to see.

"Calm down (name) you're gonna wear a hole in my floor at this rate."

Slumping down on the nearby stool and tossing Will a coin when he handed you a beer, you took a long gulp before placing it down on the bar and sighing.

"Where is he? The man comes in here like clockwork the rest of the time, just my luck he's late when I need to talk to him."

Jumping up when John walked through the door and sat down in his usual seat, waving to Will for him to pour him a pint, you threw another coin on the bar and picked up the new beer along with your own, and nervously walked over to where the blighter was sat. He looked up to you confusedly when you placed the tankard in front of him and sat in the chair opposite, forcing a grin when he downed half of the contents of the mug in one swallow.

"Something ya want?" he drawled while eyeing you up warily.

"John, I've noticed that some, acquaintances of yours have been staying away from Whitechapel for a while now."

"Yeah, since that bloke and woman took out Rexford. Why?"

Slumping back in your chair and debating about what you were about to ask for a moment, considering it would be incredibly selfish, you finally decided to continue when you felt like you had no other choice, and confident that you would be able to clear up any ramifications that would follow.

"Well, it's causing me problems. I wondered if you would do me a favour?"

Waving over to the bar again when John necked back the rest of his beer and slammed the empty mug on the table, you jumped up and grabbed the fresh pint and mumbled 'I'll sort it later' to Will when you realised you didn't have any more money, earning you a scowl.

"Oh, what's that then?"

Sitting back down and leaning forwards, giving him your sweetest smile, you swallowed hard and continued on while he continued to gulp down his pint.

"I was wondering if you could create a bit of commotion near where I live. Well, used to live, just for a few days."

Leaning back when he sprayed the contents of his mouth all over the table, you passed him your handkerchief so he could wipe the dribbles of beer off of his chin.

"What?! Thought you were chuffed that we'd gone from round there. Did ask Rex to stay away from ya, but he didn't care."

Taking your handkerchief back and dropping the now sodden thing back on the table, you passed him your own tankard to make up for the one he just spilt.

"I am, was. It's complicated. Will you do it for me? Please?"

Feeling a bit anxious when you fluttered your eyelashes and put your hand on his, your stomach lurched and tied in knots when he winked at you, his face twisting into a sly grin.

"Won't be easy, not with that new gang in green coats scurrying about like ants. But yeah, I'll do it. Just want one thing from ya."

"What's that?" you asked timidly, fully expecting him to want something in return, but unsure of what he could possibly want.

"A kiss."

Your eyes widened, and you pulled your hand back quickly when his grin got bigger, not sure if you could actually physically bring yourself to do what he wanted. _Come on, its just a kiss. If that's all he wants, suck it up!_ Wringing your hands together, you got up out of your seat and went to step over to him, stopping when he put his hand up.

"Not yet, later. When me mates are here. We 'ave a deal?"

 

Playing a few rounds of Whist with one of the other patrons to pass the time, you threw your cards down on the table when you lost the round, glancing around the pub to see it was nearly full. Your gaze landed on the table that John was still sat at, who was laughing and jeering with several of his associates. Clenching your fists and biting your lip when John captured your gaze and tilted his head to gesture for you to go over, you took a deep breath when you suddenly felt quite nauseous with the thought of what you were about to do.

Summoning all the courage you could, you cupped his chin in your hand and tilted his head up, pressing your lips against his firmly while ignoring the cheers and whoops from his friends, concentrating on swallowing the bit of vomit that had caught in your throat when he lay his hand on your waist.

Pulling away and wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, you grabbed his pint and drank back the rest of its contents quickly while several people continued to leer at you.

"I must be off, it's getting late. Don't forget your promise."

John grinned bashfully and waved as you turned and left the pub, snatching up and gulping down some strangers drink on the way.

 

 

Several days later, you poked your head from out of your hiding spot, grinning as you saw a group of blighters pull up in a carriage and began stumbling out. 

"Thank god he kept his word" you grumbled to yourself as you walked in the opposite direction, not wanting to get caught up in whatever John had planned for the neighbourhood.

Making it about halfway down the street, you froze when you suddenly spotted familiar white robes around the next corner, heading in your direction. Running the rest of the way to block the assassin off, so he didn't interfere with your plan, you suddenly stopped and started panicking when you saw Evie was with him. Shaking yourself off and trying to act normally, you approached your friends, blocking their way to the next street.

"Henry, Evie, nice day isn't it! What are you up to?"

"Erm yes, I suppose it is (name). We're just on our way to meet an acquaintance of mine, what are you doing?"

Fidgeting nervously as Henry eyed you up suspiciously, stepping to the side to block his way again when he tried to get by you.

"Nothing much, just pottering about, looking for something to do."

Henry grabbed your shoulders and pushed you behind him so he could look around the corner, his eyes widening when the sound of several police whistles rang through the air.

"What on earth?! Evie, blighters."

"No! Wait!" You called out, making Evie stop in her tracks, and both of the Assassins stare at you in complete confusion.

"(Name).... What have you done?"

You lowered your head and scuffed your boot on the floor when Henry stared at you accusingly, waiting for you to give him some kind of explanation as to what was going on.

"I, I asked them to do it. Only to scare off the people that wanted to buy my store, they won't cause too much trouble. I'm sorry."

"You did what?? Of all the stupid..... (Name) they're blighters, what made you think you could trust them?!"

Looking up at Evie who was now scowling at you with her hands on her hips, you winced at being scolded at like a little child.

"I didn't think! I didn't know what else to do, they're going to turn it into a bakery, I had no other choice!"

Henry grabbed your arm to stop you from pursuing Evie when she ran off to deal with the gang that was now brawling with the police, looking at you disapprovingly which made you feel even more ashamed at what you had done.

"Why didn't you say something? You know you could always talk to me."

"I know. But you've been so busy, and I didn't want to bother you. I really am sorry."

Twisting yourself fiercely, so he let go of your arm, you turned and ran off in the direction of the train station, hoping that nobody had taken your old sleeping spot.

 

 

 

Mulling about the streets in the City of London, you saw the perfect opportunity to apologise to Evie for what you did last week, when you spotted her bartering with one of the vendors at a nearby stall. Clearing your throat to get her attention when you approached her, you braced yourself for the yelling that you had no doubt was coming to you.

"Evie? I just wanted to apolo..."

You were cut short when she looked up at you and wrapped her arms around you briefly, quickly regaining her composure and turning back to the vendor, leaving you wholly bewildered.

"There's no need to apologise. I understand. We've been worrying about you."

Standing there still aghast at what just happened, you managed to shake yourself off and find your voice before you looked like a complete idiot.

"We?"

"Yes. Henry's been beside himself for not noticing something was wrong, and the fact no one has been able to find you for a week."

Of course Henry was worried about you, he had treated you like a little sister ever since you first met, but you had been too ashamed to face him just yet. Your ears pricked up when you realised Evie was still talking, your stomach doing backflips when you snapped your attention back.

".... he's been driving me crazy, running about London trying to find you. I swear that brother of mine will be the death of me."

Before you had a chance to say anything, you were startled by a man running across the street and down the side alley where you were, screaming his head off.

"Miss Evie, Miss Evie! I've done something dreadful! The train won't stop!"

You and Evie stared at each other for a split second and immediately broke out into a sprint towards the street. Following her up when she yanked the driver out of a nearby carriage and sat in his seat you held on tightly when you sped off in the direction of the train bridge.

Jumping out when the train came into view, the corner of your mouth twitched when you grabbed ahold of Evie as she shot her grappling hook into the air, both landing elegantly on top of the bridge beside the tracks. Catching the side of the first carriage and hoisting yourself up to the roof, you squatted down and carefully balanced, waiting for Evie to speak to the driver to find out what you could do to stop the train.

You covered your ears as a small explosion erupted from the front carriage, hurling flaming debris a couple of feet from where you were.

"We've got to put the fires out!" Evie shouted at you as she pulled herself up from the drivers' carriage, handing you a small axe.

Nodding and cautiously making your way down the train, you shielded your face from the heat with your arm and began scraping the molten scraps off of the roof. Ducking down when another eruption rang through the air, you scrambled further down to deal with the next two piles that were threatening to set the whole train alight. Standing up and looking about to see that between you and Evie, you had managed to put the fires out for now, you yelped when the train suddenly jolted and slowed, making your footing falter and slip off the roof of the train.

Just managing to catch the edge of the carriage to save yourself from falling under the wheels, your heart was pounding as you shimmied across the window and lept into the wagon, just as Evie walked in. 

"The train is safe, thank you for your help. Are you alright? That looks quite bad."

Glancing down at your hand when Evie pointed to it, you pulled off your glove that had bits of debris stuck to it and flexed your thumb, shrugging your shoulders at the quite sizeable scorch mark running across it.

"Fine, I'm used to these kinds of burns, I don't even feel it. So what actually happened?"

Leaning against the desk when Evie flopped down in the chair and rubbed her temples, you pulled out a small jar of cream that you always carried from your inside pocket, and gingerly rubbed some on the burn that was starting to sting slightly now that you had noticed it.

"Bob tried to make some improvements, it didn't go to plan as you saw. Speaking of which, I should go and find him before he decides to do any more upgrades."

"Evie? What the bloody hell happened?! (Name)?"

You jumped up and grinned as Jacob pulled himself into the carriage, immediately running up and wrapping his arms around you, squeezing you so tight you could barely breathe. Evie got up and smirked at your embrace, heading towards the door when Jacob was now scrutinising the burn on your hand.

"It was Bob, need I say more? I'll leave you two to it shall I, I'll tell the driver to pull into the next station so he can make repairs."

Blushing hard when Evie snickered at you and jumped out to the next carriage, you turned your attention back to Jacob who was still staring at your hand. You giggled when he dropped your fingers as soon as his sister was out of sight, pulling you hard against him and kissing you so profoundly, it left you breathless for a moment.

"So, are you going to tell me where you've been? Or are you going to make me guess?"

"I can't get back in my shop, the bank locked it back up so I've just been hiding out wherever I could. Didn't Evie tell you?"

You frowned when his face dropped in annoyance, wincing slightly when his grip tightened to the point where his fingers were digging painfully into your side.

"No, she didn't. Remind me to thank her for that later."

Taking a sigh of relief when you realised Evie hadn't mentioned anything about what you had done, you suddenly became grateful Jacob was holding onto you so firmly when the train jolted into moving. Seeing that he still looked annoyed, you kissed him again softly, which made his usual toothy grin appear instantly and his eyes light up as he glanced around quickly.

Biting your lip when his fingers trailed down your back and his mouth descended on your neck, kissing you hungrily, you tensed up for a moment when you realised what he was thinking, and where you were.

"Jacob... No. We can't, not here."

You moaned gently when he continued to lick and nibble around your collarbone, his hand eagerly moving from your back to caress your breast through your shirt, stroking your nipple which hardened instantly under his touch.

"Don't you mean Jacob... Yes? Right here?" he mumbled against your cheek before finding your lips again and kissing you passionately.

All coherent thoughts flew straight out of your head when he lowered his hand and tugged your trousers open, smiling against your lips when he slid a finger through your already wet folds. Trembling from head to toe as he suddenly dropped to his knees and pushed your trousers down as far as they would go, you gasped and grabbed ahold of his shoulders tightly when he stuck his tongue out and ran it straight through you crease.

Your hips instinctively thrust forwards when he began sucking your clit, his tongue circling and flicking over you that had you panting in seconds. A strangled gasp erupted from your throat when you felt his hand creep up the inside of your thigh, spreading your legs wider so he could get better access, before two fingers ran over your slit and plunged deep inside you, twisting and rubbing up against the sensitive patch that he had discovered the last time you were together. 

Your grip on his shoulders tightened to almost painfully, nails digging into his coat as you tried to keep your balance with the rocking of the train, and the pleasure blossoming rapidly inside you. His pace quickened when your soft moans rang through the air, curling his arm around the back of you when you struggled to keep upright, your legs trembling when your peak teetered on the edge, refusing to break. Just before the pleasure passed into pain, your climax finally surged through you, alighting every nerve in your body that made you cry out and shudder as he drank you up, prolonging every single electrifying wave for as long as he could.

Slumping forward and breathless, you jerked towards him in sensitivity when he removed his fingers and stood up, still holding you tightly as he licked his lips and stroked your cheek with the back of his hand.

"Mmmmm, I missed you."

Grinning and grabbing his coat so you could turn him around, you pushed him back onto the sofa behind him, kissing him fiercely as you dropped your hand and palmed his throbbing erection that was straining against the fabric.

"I couldn't tell," you whispered in his ear seductively.

Pulling back slightly so you could kick off your boots and trousers, you leaned over him and pulled the buttons of his own trousers swiftly, smiling as he shuddered when you closed your around his shaft. Straddling over him and rubbing his tip through your essence, you lined him up with your entrance and lowered down slowly, your climax dripping from you help alleviate most of the discomfort.

Slowly rocking your hips backwards and forwards when he lay his hands on your waist, you draped your arms over his shoulders and sighed in delight when he thrust himself up as deep as he could go inside you, filling you to the very brink, his eyes rolling back as you instinctively tightened up around him. Closing your eyes and reveling in the waves of pleasure that began flowing through you again with each movement, you didn't even notice that his hands had moved from your waist, until you felt him grab the tails of your shirt and pull them apart in one quick movement, making the buttons fly everywhere and revealing your breasts to him.

Snapping your eyes open and glaring at him playfully, you ground yourself against him and squeezed your walls tightly, making a delightful growl tear from his throat.

"Do you have something against my shirts?"

Jacob gave you an impish grin before leaning forwards and wrapping his arms around you, planting kisses and rubbing his chin in the valley between your mounds, working his way to your stiff nipple and gently sucking and biting on it, sending tendrils of fire straight to your core that intensified what was already building between your legs.

"You devil." you managed to utter through your heavy breathing, now circling your hips so that your clit crushed up against him, giving it the punishment it was aching for again.

"You're one to talk. Stop wriggling about like that on my cock, or I'll cum before I've had my fill of you."

Grinning as you lifted yourself up as high as you could go, bobbing on just his tip before plunging yourself back down that made you both groan in unison, you squealed and held onto him tight as he suddenly stood up and spun you around, pushing you up against the window and immediately setting up a hard, fast rhythm.

Noticing every one of your muscles beginning to tighten, betraying how close you were to climaxing, Jacob managed to snake his hand between your bodies and brush his fingers over your throbbing bundle of nerves, making you moan loudly and throw your head back, crying out his name as the overwhelming pleasure dug its claws in and dragged you to the depths of bliss once again.

Collapsing against him and whimpering when the explosive waves tearing through you began to subside, you bit down on his neck when you saw that he was close to climaxing himself. Clenching up again when a deep groan erupted from his chest, his hips snapped hard against you a few more times as he emptied himself deep inside you, resting his head on your shoulder, breathless.

Nudging his head with your cheek so he looked up, you grinned and kissed him briefly, before freezing for a moment wide-eyed when you realised the train had stopped. Noticing the stunned look on Jacobs' face, you looked behind you and out of the window to see a rather hefty group of people on the train station platform, including a rather mortified looking Henry, staring directly at your bare ass pressed up against the glass pane.

Turning back quickly and hiding your face in embarrassment as Jacob promptly stepped back and pulled the blind down, you both immediately burst out into laughter as you looked back up at him.

"Well, I guess we won't be teasing Henry about Evie anymore."

Jacob smirked and kissed your cheek as he loosened his grip so you could drop your legs down, holding you up for a moment when he saw that your legs were still shaking slightly.

"Hmmm, not for at least a week anyway." He chuckled as he let go of you and pushed himself back into his trousers, swiftly doing them back up.

Your eyes narrowed as you went to do up your top, remembering that there were no longer any buttons on it, then widened as Jacob rummaged through a nearby drawer for a moment and handed you a new shirt.

"Expecting me were you?"

"Nope, that's Evie's. For god's sake don't tell her."

Giggling as you pulled it over your head and walked over to pick up the rest of your clothes, you frowned and began to panic slightly when your gaze hit the window again as you slowly tugged on your trousers.

"I can't believe all those people saw my ass...."

Jacob, noticing your fretful expression, pulled you in his arms and kissed you deeply, before stepping away slightly to do up your buttons.

"Ah well, maybe I _should_ be a bit more careful next time. As long as I'm the only one who gets to see it from now on?"

You tapped your chin and pretended to think about it for a moment as he gazed at you hopefully, your mouth curving into a wide grin a split second later.

"Deal."


	9. Chapter 9

Without anywhere else to go, you decided to hide out in the train for a while, much to Jacob's delight, but it was beginning to drive you insane. Being left to your own devices for the most part, the current assassin missions either too dangerous or didn't warrant a thief, left you mulling about and wondering what to do about your store.

Picking up your fathers journal that Jacob had managed to sneak in and get for you, before being thrown out by several policemen that even Freddie didn't have any sway over, you curled up on the sofa and flicked through the book until you came to a blank page.

About an hour later, you smiled to yourself when you heard familiar heavy footsteps clambering about on the roof, looking up to see Jacob drop down in front of the door, completely covered in what looked like soot.

"What on earth have you been doing??"

You squirmed when he flashed you a beaming smile and dropped down in the seat next to you, draping his arm over your shoulder and kissing your cheek, leaving a huge black mark across your face.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know. What you got there?"

Grinning when you passed him the book to show him the brass knuckles you had designed, you burst out laughing when his eyes lit up and began nodding furiously.

"Oh, you know me so well! Can you make it? Maybe two, those Templars won't know what hit them."

Taking the book back off him and snapping it shut, you got up off the sofa and sighed, dropping it down on the nearby desk and rubbed at your cheek with the cuff of your coat when you saw your reflection in the window.

"I would love to, but no forge, remember?"

Jacob jumped up and spun you around, wrapping his arms around you tightly and kissed you, covering your face in the black dust again.

"I said I'll get it back for you, and I will. Even if I have to take on the whole bloody police force, I will."

Chuckling to yourself when you could actually imagine him doing that, your attention snapped to the door when Henry walked in, immediately lowering his gaze to the ground when he saw you.

"Oh. I was just looking for Evie, I'll come back later...."

Slithering out from Jacob's embrace and gesturing for him to give you and Henry a moment alone, you scoffed when he pouted and took two whole steps towards the other side of the carriage. Turning your attention back to Henry, you couldn't help but blush when he was now staring at the very window that he saw you pushed up against earlier in the week. Clearing your throat and stepping towards him, you lay your hand on his arm and decided not to acknowledge the embarrassing situation that you had gotten in, but apologise for the blighter catastrophe now that you had finally gathered up the nerve after avoiding him for the best part of a month.

"Henry, I'm so sorry for what I did. I didn't mean... I shouldn't have... Oh bloody hell, this sounded so much better in my head."

You breathed a sigh of relief when Henry chuckled and hugged you briefly, before brushing your face with the back of his hand to get some of the dirt off.

"I could never stay cross at you (name), just promise me that next time you will speak to me first?"

"I promise. Evie went out not too long ago, said she was meeting someone named Clara?"

Noticing that Henry's hand was now grubby, you pulled out your handkerchief and wiped the smudge off it before trying to clean up your own face, letting out an exasperated sigh when Jacob walked up behind you and rubbed his cheek against yours, making your efforts completely futile.

"Well, I better get going, have fun getting yourselves cleaned up." 

Grumbling to yourself as you watched Henry smirk at you and hastily jump off the train, you dropped the now black handkerchief on the floor and turned to face Jacob, who now had his eyebrows raised in confusion.

"What was all that about? He can't still be that pissed about what happened at the station?"

"No, everything's fine, it doesn't matter. You do realise that you're absolutely filthy?"

You shrieked when he winked at you suggestively and quickly swept you off of your feet, carrying you back over to the sofa and ungraciously sitting down with you in his lap.

"When it comes to you, I can be extremely filthy."

Giggling when he nuzzled into your neck, and his fingers began massaging the inside of your thigh, your mouth dropped when he whispered something in your ear. You bit your lip in trying to stop a smile from creeping up your face when he looked back up at you, but your eyes obviously gave you away when he gave you a rather enticing wink.

"Oh, you like that idea do you?"

Fiddling with the coin around his neck, you gave up trying to hide your expression, grinning widely and nodding.

"Mmmm, god you're amazing. But unfortunately that's going to have to wait, we need to go in a few minutes."

"Where are we going?"

Getting up and trying to brush yourself off to at least look a bit more presentable, you abandoned your attempts with a huff when Jacob jumped up next to you and grinned, drawing his initials on your cheeks with the soot.

"Lambeth. There's someone who you could probably help."

 

 

Following Jacob in through some random front door without even knocking, your eyebrows raised in wonder when you noticed that you weren't in a house, but a rather large room with a lot of instruments and apparatus laying about.

"Aleck? You here?"

You stood back when a smartly dressed man poked his head around the corner, not at all concerned that there were two people stood in the middle of his workshop unannounced.

"Ah Jacob, been hard at work I see. Have you seen Starricks latest lies?"

You cocked your head to one side as the man passed Jacob a newspaper, quite surprised that he had a thick Scottish accent.

"Lies? In a newspaper? I'm astonished. How's the darts coming along?" Jacob asked in a sarcastic tone as he handed him back the paper.

"Not quite finished I'm afraid, I've completed the serum, but the dart mechanism isn't working correctly."

Stepping forward when Aleck presented a syringe type item to Jacob, the corner of your mouth twitched when you spotted what was wrong with it almost immediately. Jacob, noticing your expression, passed it to you so you could look at it closer for a moment, smirking when you fumbled in your pocket and pulled out a small file.

"Aleck, this is (name), she's on our side. (Name) this is Aleck Bell, an inventor."

Using the file to ping off an extra piece of metal on the side of the tube that would no doubt cause any kind of mechanism to jam, you gave it back to Jacob and extended your hand to the Scotsman, who now looked quite impressed.

"Pleasure to meet you Mister Bell. Your design was slightly flawed, but I've fixed it. It should work now."

Smiling when he took your hand in both of his, it soon dropped when he shook it a little too enthusiastically, making you twist out of his grip before he pulled your arm off.

"The pleasures all mine my dear. Tell me, are you an inventor also?"

"Me? God no, just a blacksmith. Jacob, does it fit now?"

Spinning around to see Jacob grinning and slide the vial neatly into his gauntlet, you breathed a sigh of relief that what you had done actually worked, and you hadn't made a fool out of yourself.

"Excellent. A blacksmith you say? Would you mind giving me your opinion on another of my inventions? Oh and Mister Frye, I intercepted a line, mentioning cargo that contains our cable lines had been seized at College Wharf."

"Well then, I suppose I better go unseize it. (Name) will you stay here? I won't be long, especially with this new toy."

Chuckling at his enthusiasm for his new contraption, you shooed him off when he grabbed you around the waist and kissed you quickly, eager to find out what Aleck wanted you to look at.

"So, you and Mister Frye?"

Following him to his workbench where he picked up a flask and spilt two drops into a dish, you gingerly plucked up some weird metal device off of the countertop, fiddling with it and wondering what on earth it could be.

"Yes. So what is it you wanted me to look at?"

 

 

 

"Ah god damn it!"

Flinging the curved piece of metal across the counter and grasping your finger tightly, you winced when a trickle of blood dripped down the side of your hand.

"Are you alright? Here, let me take a look."

Holding out your hand to Aleck when he came rushing over with a cloth and wound it tightly around your fingers, you cursed under your breath for having cut yourself yet again. Whining when he pulled the fabric away to see how bad it was, you scowled when you saw quite a deep gash down the side of your index finger.

"That's pretty bad, hold it tight, I shall get you a bandage."

Squeezing as hard as you could to stop the bleeding, you were grateful that he came back quickly and pulled up a stool inches from yours, and began cleaning up your hand.

"I'm sorry for getting blood everywhere, I'm usually really good at this kind of thing. Guess I'm just not great at using other people's tools."

"Oh hush, you're doing a marvellous job. It took me days to build just one of those things, and you have managed three in the past few hours."

Staring at your hand as he wound the bandage firmly around your finger, you couldn't help but notice that he was trembling slightly.

"Aleck, are you okay?"

"Erm, yes, just a little squeamish when it comes to blood. Pitiful I know."

Taking his hands in yours when he finished doing the dressing, you gave him a broad smile and tried to take his mind off of it.

"Yet here you are, fixing me up. That's incredibly brave to face something that scares you."

"Trust me, I'm not brave, I feel like I'm about to throw up."

"You better not, this is a new shirt!"

You both burst out laughing at the same time, stopping instantly when you turned your head towards the door at the sound of Jacob clearing his throat.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Aleck dropped your hands and jumped up out of the chair faster than you'd ever seen anyone move before, your eyebrows raising as you saw that Jacob was smiling, but his voice didn't match his expression.

"Not at all. Just had a bit of an accident, Mister Bell was just fixing me up. How did the mission go?"

You clenched your teeth together when Jacob grasped your hand and inspected the bandage, his eyes narrowing slightly as he turned his attention to Aleck.

"I can answer that, you have triumphed once again Mister Frye!"

"Wait, how do you know that?" Jacob asked, his voice still laced with slight annoyance.

"We have entered the age of communication remember? I have already received word that the shipment has arrived safe and sound, thanks to you."

Unwinding your dressing when you felt your hand starting to go numb because it was so tight, you stifled a chuckle when Aleck turned away quickly, so he didn't see your wound. Now that it had stopped bleeding, you held up your finger so Jacob could see the cut, flinching when his brow furrowed and he kissed the tip.

"So what else was in the shipment Aleck? There were too many blighters for it just to contain cable lines."

"Ah, I'm afraid that Starricks poison has made it's way to the open market."

Jumping down off the stool when Jacob gestured that it was time to go, you quickly picked up the cloth and wiped the traces of your blood off the piece of metal you had cut yourself on and handed it to Aleck so that he could finish the infernal thing himself.

"Well, if Starrick thinks that will stop us, he's wrong. Shall we be off?"

Waving to Bell as you followed Jacob out the door, your brow furrowed in confusion slightly when you walked side by side down the street in complete silence. Picking up your pace slightly so that you got in front of him, you stopped and turned to face him, your eyes narrowing as he just stared over your shoulder into the distance. 

The corner of your mouth twitched when you suddenly realised what was wrong, so you lay your hands on his shoulders and jumped up, wrapping your legs around his waist and pressing your lips against his firmly, ignoring the comments of the startled onlookers. It didn't take long for him to return the kiss, you let out a gentle sigh when you felt his hands on your hips, and his tense posture was quickly melting away. Pulling back to see his usual cheeky expression had returned, you tapped him on the nose with your good hand and tutted.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, just so you know."

Holding on tighter as he carried on walking with you around his waist, you laughed at the woman who was briskly walking in the other direction, scoffing and covering her child's eyes with her hand.

"Jealous? I'm not jealous."

"If you say so. Are you going to put me down? Or do you plan on carrying me all the way back to the train?"

You giggled when his hands wove around you, kissing you again then apologising when he bumped into a group of men who were deep in conversation. He dropped you down when you reached the end of the street, his attention snapping to an older gentleman with a bushy white beard who was yelling at another man that was jumping into a carriage.

"Mr Darwin? What's all that about?"

You just managed to stifle your laughter when the man held on tightly to the door handle as the cart sped away, yanking it clean off and throwing it to the ground in annoyance.

"That is Richard Owen! A vile, despicable man!"

"Really? Could have sworn you were close friends" Jacob scoffed.

"Wait, Mr Owen works at the asylum... He would know who makes the syrup! Get him! Get him!"

Breaking into a sprint behind Jacob when he immediately ran off in the direction that the man was travelling, you felt slightly smug when you managed to keep up with minimal effort. Jumping up into a nearby empty carriage so you could gain some ground on the man, you were quite surprised when Jacob passed you the reins.

"Get as close as you can, and try to keep us steady."

Nodding and cracking the reins, you managed to catch up to the other cart quickly, pulling up to the side of it in a steady path as Jacob climbed up onto the roof. 

"Go find Evie!" Jacob shouted as he jumped across to the other carriage and pushed the driver into the road, taking his place in the front seat.

Slowing down and pulling up to the side of the street, your heart jumped into your throat when you watched Jacob drive more recklessly than usual, slamming the carriage into nearby objects, in what you guessed was his attempt to scare the man into giving him the information he needed. Now he was out of sight, you slowly walked down the street in the direction of the train station, wondering just how on earth you were going to find Evie this time of the evening.

Stopping in your tracks when you heard a lot of commotion from the other side of the street, your eyes narrowed when you saw four blighters circling a young woman dressed in green and yellow. Picking up your pace, so you got close enough for them to hear you, the corner of your mouth twitched when you saw who it was.

"Oi! John, piss off and leave her alone!"

You just managed to suppress your laughter when the big blighter turned to face you, noticing quickly that he had a black eye and several lumps and bruises all over him.

"For you my dear, anything. You still owe me for that beatin' I took helping you out though."

Pulling a face and shooing him away when he waved at you and began walking off with his colleagues in the opposite direction, your brow furrowed in confusion when you saw the girl was now scowling at you.

"Erm, you okay? Bloody cowards, four of them ganging up on you like that."

"I don't need your help. Least of all from some blighters fancy bit." She spat at you whilst brushing herself off and pulling her waistcoat straight.

"Hmph. You're welcome. And I'm not some blighters 'fancy bit' thank you very much."

"Coulda fooled me. Great, now I'm late meetin Miss Evie."

Your eyes widened, and you started following her as she began walking away, much to her obvious annoyance.

"Wait, I need to talk to Evie, where is she? I'm (name) by the way."

Nearly crashing into the back of the girl when she suddenly stopped and turned to face you in astonishment, you smiled brightly in hopes that she would let her guard down and tell you where her boss was.

"Mary. You know Miss Evie? How?"

"Nice to meet you, Mary. I've been helping her for a while now, hopefully that proves I'm not a blighter, I wouldn't be standing here if I were."

Letting out a sigh of relief when her face softened slightly, you carried on walking beside her when she gestured for you to follow, hoping that you weren't walking into some kind of ambush.

"Good point. Miss Evie's definitely not someone you should mess with! She's this way, scouting out a gang hideout."

"Thanks. So you're a Rook? What made you join them?"

Grinning when she walked taller as you said this, the slight nerves you had about following her drifted away as she began gushing about being part of the gang.

"I worked in a factory near here, boss treated us something terrible, and used kids to work the machinery. Miss Evie set us all free, so doing all I can to repay the favour. Then of course, there's her brother."

Your ears pricked up and you looked at her out of the corner of your eye, smirking when you knew what was coming next, given the expression on her face.

"Jacob? What about him?"

"Are you kidding?! Have you actually seen him? Apart from being ridiculously attractive, and strong, charming, and the way he fights... Oh, the things I could do to that man."

Dropping back slightly so she couldn't see the smug look on your face, a pang of wickedness erupted inside you, and you decided to continue with the conversation.

"Well, I suppose he's okay, I guess. Does he know how you feel?"

"Okay? Just okay? Are you blind or something?! I have tried, but he's not done anything, yet. Just a matter of time. He's got a lot on his mind at the moment."

Stopping when you got to the outskirts of the Southwark gang hideout, you spied the familiar black smoke from the Fryes train, and figured it would be best to wait for Evie there, rather than interrupting her while she was scouting.

"Hmmm, I see. Well thanks for your help Mary, I'll find Evie on my own from here. Nice to meet you."

You quickly ran off in the direction of the tracks grinning to yourself, but also trying to ignore the sudden twinge of guilt that pulled in your chest for not saying anything as you left the Rook staring at you, with a rather dumbfounded look on her face.


	10. Chapter 10

You woke up with a start when you felt something heavy drop down beside you on the sofa, looking around quickly to see Jacob grinning at you.

"Did you know that you snore? I heard you even through the noise of the train."

Rubbing your eyes and yawning, you slapped him on the leg when he poked you in your side and started laughing at you.

"I do not snore, I know I don't. You do however. What time is it?"

"A bit before ten, still early."

Snuggling down into his chest when he wrapped his arm around you, you tried to stifle another yawn, wondering what he meant by 'still early'.

"Mmmm, you're comfortable. Oh, I met one of your admirers earlier."

"Really? You'll have to be a bit more specific, I have lots of them."

Looking up and scowling at him when you could feel his chest vibrating with the chuckle he was trying to suppress, you yelped when he slid his cold hands under your arms and pulled you to straddling on top of him, his hands rubbing down your thighs suggestively.

"Well, this one was Mary, one of your Rooks. She seemed quite infatuated with you."

"Mary? Yeah I know her, what did she say?"

Seeing the cheeky glint in his eye, you decided to play along with his little game, trying to ignore that his thumb was now circling closer to in between your legs.

"Well. Firstly she said you were ridiculously attractive..."

Jacob raised his eyebrow as you brought your hand up and plucked open the top button of his shirt, grazing your nails over the newly exposed skin that made him shudder.

"Well, that's true. What else?"

"And you were strong...."

Grinding your hips hard against him and pulling open another button, you leaned forwards and trailed little pecks across his jawline, smiling as his grip tightened on your legs.

"And charming....." you whispered, your voice low and dripping with desire.

"Also true."

Sitting back slightly to see that he was seconds away from ripping off your clothes and taking you right there, given the look on his face, you moved in to kiss him, but instead grabbed the front of his hat and yanked it down, covering his eyes and giggling to yourself.

"And a bloody smug bastard!"

Jumping up quickly when his hands moved from your legs so he could pull up his hat, your mouth dropped and you took a step back when he looked up at you with _the_ most devious grin.

"Why you little... I'm gonna get you for that."

Squealing when he lept up from the sofa and wrapped his arms around your waist before you even had a chance to move, you laughed and tried to wiggle free when his mouth descended on your neck, biting and sucking that was sure to leave a string of bruises.

"Ahem. Sorry to break this up, but we have work to do. You two really should think about getting a room."

Jacob let out an exasperated sigh and mumbled something against your shoulder when you turned your now flustered head to face Evie, who was busy hiding her gaze in paperwork strewn across the desk. Attempting to move away when his hands loosened around your waist, your eyebrows raised when he turned you around and pulled your back up firmly against his chest, suddenly realising why he kept you there when he pushed the hard bulge in his trousers up against your leg.

"What's than then Evie? Another exciting night in trying to get a lead on that curio?"

You pursed your lips so you wouldn't laugh when Evie glared at Jacob, noticing she was in a particularly foul mood.

"Just on my way out actually dear brother. Lucy Thorne is expecting a shipment tonight, and I'm almost certain that it contains a piece of Eden that Sir David Brewster mentioned."

Glancing over a document that Evie gave to you to pass to Jacob, you recognised the portrait of the woman immediately, remembering that Henry had said that she was extremely dangerous.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You aren't an assassin (name), do you believe you're up for the task?"

Looking at the picture again, you nodded and handed her back the sheet, resolving to prove that you were more than just a thief, who was currently leeching a place to stay off of her.

"Come on Evie, another pair of eyes would be useful, and it sounds like fun."

"Fine. Just promise me you'll stick to the mission."

Jacob, finally able to step back from you, grinned at his sibling and trailed his finger over his chest in the shape of a cross.

"I swear."

He held you back as you went to jump off the train, smirking against your cheek and trailing his fingers down your sides.

"Don't you think for one second that you've gotten away with this, I'm still going to get you back. And by the way, I have absolutely no idea who Mary is."

Grabbing his arm and pulling him down the carriage before Evie started yelling, you turned to face him for a moment and gave him a sly wink.

"I know."

 

 

Perching yourself on the roof of the factory next to Evie, your eyes widened when you saw at least two dozen blighters and Templars down below, guarding a cart that was being loaded up with a large crate.

"Whatever Thorne's after, it's in that chest."

"There are gunmen on the roof," Jacob grumbled as he crouched down next to you, making his boredom more than apparent.

"Think you can dispose of them before I get to the cart?"

You raised your eyebrows at his jaded attitude as he jumped up and sniggered at Evie, fiddling with his bracer for a second before getting ready to jump off the roof.

"I was hoping for a challenge."

Watching him shoot out his grappling hook and traverse to where the first sniper was, you turned to Evie and waited for instructions, who was staring out into the yard attentively.

"You can go down to the right (name), and eliminate the three solitary guards before they can alert anyone else."

The panic-stricken look on your face must have been apparent as she frowned at you for a moment, then shook her head as she sighed.

"Look, if it's too much for you to handle..."

"No!" You blurted out, cutting her off mid-sentence, more determined now than ever to prove your worth.

"I can do it, you can trust me."

Descending the side of the building when she nodded at you, you quickly ran behind a stack of containers, knowing that time was not on your side. Peeking around the corner and spotting the first watchman, you took a deep breath to try and slow your furiously beating heart and pulled out your dagger, creeping as quietly as you could up behind him. _You've done this once, you can do it again..._ Before you lost your nerve, you raised your blade as high as you could and plunged it straight into his neck, wincing at the strangled gargle that left his mouth as he dropped to the floor.

Looking up to see Evie about to jump off the roof, you hastily made your way to the next guard; a woman this time, and repeated your actions in the exact same way, the uneasy feeling in the pit of your gut dissipating quickly. Skidding to a halt when you approached the location of the third, your eyes widened when you saw it was a gigantic man, easily the biggest person you had seen in your entire life.

Knowing you would have to use a different tact for this one, more for the fact that there was not much chance of you actually being able to reach to stab him in his neck, you took a few steps back and flipped your dagger, so you were holding it backhanded. Running up as fast as you could, you lept onto the enormous Templars back and slid your blade across his throat, landing on him as he fell forwards, at the exact same time as Evie sped by.

Retreating slightly beside the building, so you didn't get spotted, you peered around the corner and breathed a sigh of relief when you saw Evie jump into the cart. You immediately paralysed with fear when you felt an arm wrap around your front, and a hand cover your mouth, then cursed loudly against the leather-clad fingers when you turned your head, to see Jacob smirk at you before dropping his gaze to the body on the floor.

"What was that? Nicely done by the way, woman after my own heart."

Pulling his hand from over your face, you poked him in the ribs and glared at him, shaking your head softly when he grinned at you sheepishly.

"I said, you bastard, you scared the life out of me!"

"Hmm, sorry about that, didn't want you yelling out and letting everyone know we're here. I know how you like to make noises."

Only just managing to stick your tongue out at him before he grabbed your arm and pulled you into the street, you poked your head over the side of the cart at the same time as Jacob, to see Evie open the chest to reveal a book and a mound of documents.

"Did you find it?" Jacob asked quickly, slightly fretting as several Templars burst out of a nearby door.

 _"There he is, get him!"_ One of the gang members shouted as they ran towards your position.

"What did you do?!"

Jumping into the cart beside Evie when Jacob climbed into the driver's seat, you slammed the crate shut to stop the papers from flying away as you sped down the street.

"Now's hardly the time for questions. How many are chasing us?"

"Too many! Would you drive more carefully, you're endangering the documents!" Yelled Evie, who was mentally counting your pursuers and grimacing.

Shaking your head as Evie handed you a gun, you grinned as you pulled out several throwing knives out of your coat, thankful that you had the foresight to come well prepared.

"Oh, poor documents! Would you rather I stop right here?" Jacob shouted over his shoulder and winked at you, obviously enjoying this pursuit far more than any sane person would.

Climbing over the side of the carriage to carefully balance on the passenger seat, you nudged Jacob in the arm with your leg to get his attention.

"Let them get closer!"

"What?! Are you mad woman?!"

Smirking when one of the chasing carriages pulled a few feet away from the side of you, you hurled a knife straight at the driver, landing it square in his chest. Watching him veer off and crash into a lamp post, you shrugged your shoulders when both Evie and Jacob stared at you in amazement.

"Errm, wouldn't it be wise to keep your eyes on the road?" You chided as you dropped down to your knees to hold on to the side for dear life, when Jacob just managed to swerve out of the way of a group of people. 

Standing back up when you saw several more carriages full of Templars speed your way, you spun another blade in your hand, ready to aim again.

"Be a dear and hold onto me if you plan on making another move like that."

Looking around furiously when you eventually ran out of daggers, you noticed that the gang members were becoming relentless in their pursuit, more and more appearing faster than you could take them down. Jumping into the back of the carriage next to Evie, you frowned as she held up her gun, showing you that she was also out of ammunition.

"Jacob, we're out, and they're still coming!"

"Then we've gotta jump!" 

Crashing to the floor when he took another hard turn, you managed to clamber up just as he ground the cart to a halt, your eyes widening when he jumped out and headed towards the train bridge.

"What about the chest?!" Evie called out from just behind you.

"If you want to carry it, be my guest!"

Climbing up the wall and balancing on the edge next to Jacob, you jumped down just as the train passed under, only just managing to hold on with the force of the speed it was going. Scrambling back up and brushing yourself off, you couldn't help but laugh when Jacob waved to the Templars that were leaning over the side of the bridge, before stepping back to weave his arm around you.

"Well that was fun, must do it again sometime dear sister."

You felt slightly sorry for Evie when you followed him to the end of the train, wishing there were more you could have done to help as you lept off the end, landing cleanly next to a slightly baffled Jacob. Walking down the tracks for a moment until you came to a part of the wall you could climb, you dug your feet in between the broken bricks and hoisted yourself up, cocking your head to one side when Jacob followed you up with the same mysterious expression.

"Go on, I'll bite. What are you thinking? Or do I have something on my face?"

"Hmm? No, you don't have anything on your face."

Linking your arm through his and slowly walking down the street along the tracks, you didn't bother asking again, leaving him in his own little world while you wondered which direction to head in. Stumbling forward when he suddenly stopped in the middle of the street, you yelped as he pulled you into his arms and squeezed you tightly.

"Okay, now you're starting to worry me."

Leaning yourself back so you could look up at him, a soft smile crept up your face when you saw he was gazing down at you warmly.

"You worry too much. I'm just amazed and trust me, that doesn't happen very often. A few weeks ago you were struggling to keep up with me, now here you are, killing Templars and flinging daggers through the air."

"What, you really thought I'd just sit about moping on the train, waiting for the great Jacob Frye to return? I have been out practising."

Letting him pull you towards the kerb when a carriage came trundling down the road, you took the opportunity to slide your hands under his coat, sighing as his warmth instantly began to thaw out your cold fingers.

"Well, yes I did actually. You've been doing all of this, to be with me?"

Now it was your turn to be surprised, as you fully expected for him to have his usual smug grin on his face. But if he was hiding it, he was doing it well.

"I suppose. For myself as well of course, I did say I wanted to help in any way I could.."

Before you even had a chance to finish, Jacob held you even more firmly against him, kissing you so hard that you were sure you could taste a faint bite of copper from where you bit your lip from his sudden movement. Pulling back slightly so you could catch your breath, your stomach tied in knots as his eyes flickered over you tenderly.

"Mister Frye, are you getting all romantic on me?"

Jacob cleared his throat and loosened his grip around you, his usual playful demeanour creeping back quickly.

"Me? Romantic? Not at all."

You unintentionally frowned as you stepped away and pulled your coat straight, turning around and taking a few steps back towards the street, trying to remember where the hideout would be this time of night. 

"No? That's a shame."

A shriek caught in your throat when Jacob suddenly appeared in front of you, ducking down and picking you up, throwing you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. You hammered your fists against his back when he started walking across the road with you slung over him, but quickly stopped and went limp when he chuckled and slapped your rear, just hard enough for it to sting slightly.

"What are you doing? Jacob Frye put me down this instant!"

Straining your neck to look up as he just ignored you and carried on down the street, your eyes widened when you saw he was heading towards a carriage, with one of his Rooks in the driver's seat. Shaking yourself about when Jacob pulled open the door and dropped you down on the floor, the blood that had rushed to your head making you quite dizzy, you just sat there dumbfounded for a moment while he said something to the driver and then climbed in, sitting down on the floor beside you.

"Where are we going?" you asked hesitantly as you draped your arms over his shoulders when he pulled you into his lap, winding his arms around your waist.

"To your shop. The trains not gonna cut it tonight, I want a bed."

"What? We can't go there, what about all the police that have been parading about?"

Holding onto him tighter as he snaked his arm under your legs, somehow managing to slide himself up against the seat and sit on it with you still in his lap, you raised your eyebrows when he just stared out of the window thoughtfully.

"Doubt there's going to be anyone there this time of night, and if there is, I'll sort it."

You spent the rest of the journey in silence, which thankfully wasn't long, as you were becoming slightly nervous about the trouble that you might cause by breaking into your shop again. Sliding off his legs and onto the seat when the carriage ground to a halt, you sat where you were when he gestured for you to stay put, peeking out the window for a moment then slumping back down when he disappeared from view.

Drumming your fingers on the cushion impatiently, you jumped as the door to the carriage suddenly burst open, revealing the Rook who had been driving the carriage.

"Come on love, out ya get."

Clambering out and sauntering towards the back of your store, you were so distracted in wondering why the Rook was grinning, that you didn't notice the two unconscious policemen on the floor until you stumbled over them. Bursting out laughing when you saw that they were tied up with their own belts, you carried on down the side street, to where Jacob was busy picking the lock to your door.

"Was that really necessary?"

Giggling again when Jacob just grinned and shrugged his shoulders, you followed him into your shop when he finally managed to unlock the door, kicking it shut behind you.


	11. Chapter 11

Fumbling around in the dark, you finally managed to find a lamp, shivering as the room illuminated in a dim orange glow when you finally got it lit.

"Bloody hell, it's colder in here than it is outside. Grab me some coal? I'll get the fire going."

Taking the bucket that he passed you and tipping it into the pit, you breathed a sigh of relief that it struck up the first time, after you noticed that the coal was damp. Stoking it when the flames roared into life, you turned your head to the sound of Jacob rummaging through your cupboards.

"Do you have any cups around here?" 

Grinning when he poked his head up over the counter and dropped his hat on it, you turned back to the fire and held your hands over it, rubbing them together to get some feeling back into them.

"Yeah, at the bottom on the left. I thought you didn't like tea?"

"I don't."

Jumping when he reached over your shoulder and passed you a cup, you stared down at it, surprised to see it was filled with a deep crimson liquid.

"Where on earth did you get wine from?"

Taking a sip and sighing as the spices warmed your throat, you turned around and perched yourself on the edge of the table as Jacob slumped down into the chair and took a big gulp of his own drink.

"You're not the only one with a few tricks up their sleeve. Come here." 

Sliding off the table and sitting on his knee when he patted his leg, you took another sip before putting your cup down and undoing your coat, the heat from the fire starting to warm you up quickly.

"Why are you stopping?"

"Huh?"

You tilted your head questioningly when Jacob placed his own drink down on the table then took your hand in his, moving it up to the top of your shirt.

"Carry on." He whispered, for some strange reason looking just as anxious as you were suddenly beginning to feel.

Shrugging off your coat and dropping it to the floor, you held his gaze and began slowly undoing the buttons, your heartbeat getting faster and faster with each one. Just as the last one popped free, you gasped when he took your hand in his, kissing your palm before holding it against his cheek.

"Have I actually told you how beautiful you are?"

Your voice stuck in your throat as he continued to gaze at you, the corner of his mouth twitching as he watched the flush rise up in your cheeks, as you never expected words like that to come from him. You shook yourself slightly to get out of your daze, swallowing hard as you finally found your voice again, just as he started nibbling at your wrist.

"Umm, can't say that you have. Are you just saying that to get me to go to bed with you?"

Feeling him smirk against your arm, you bit your lip when he looked back up at you with his eyebrows raised, trailing his finger across your jaw and down the side of your neck.

"Do I need to say something like that to get you into bed?"

You shuddered when his hand moved over to the collar of your shirt, pushing it over your shoulders to make it fall down your back, grazing his fingertips just above your breasts that made your skin tingle.

"Well, no..." you breathed, dropping your arms as his wound around your back to finish pulling off your top. 

As soon as your shirt hit the floor, you draped your arms over his shoulders, your stomach fluttering wildly at the way he was looking at you.

"Hmmm, and why's that then?"

You looked at him confusedly for a moment as you tried to think of a reply to his question, but his fingers caressing your back made it near impossible to concentrate. A look of shock crept over your face as an answer popped into your head, something that you had never even considered happening before, least of all with an assassin. As if he had read your mind, his lips curved into a broad smile as his eyes danced, curling his hand around your neck to pull you into a deep kiss.

Planting your feet firmly on the floor, you managed to stand and pull him up along with you without breaking your lips from his, even for a moment, drifting your hands down his chest and started to undo his waistcoat. It wasn't easy, with Jacobs tongue swimming over yours and his hands ghosting over your back, making you tremble in anticipation, but you managed to get it undone, his shirt quickly following.

Sliding your hands under the folds of the fabric, you traced your fingertips over the curves of his muscles, feeling them tense up one by one as you moved further up to push his clothing off. The second his garments hit the ground, he pulled you firmly against him, his kiss becoming more urgent as your bodies rubbed together. Squeezing an arm between you, you managed to locate the buttons to his trousers and began twisting them free as you slowly walked backwards, pulling him in the direction of your bed.

Stopping when you felt the edge of the bed against the back of your legs, you whimpered when he finally broke away from the kiss and stepped back slightly, kicking off his boots and trousers that had now pooled at his knees. The corner of his mouth twitched when he realised that you had managed to undo your own pants at the same time as his, pushing them down over your hips in desperate need to have your naked body against his. Shedding the rest of your clothes quickly, you let out a soft moan when his mouth latched onto your neck, sucking and kissing a trail down as he turned you both around, pulling you down with him as he sat, twisting you both to lay down on the bed.

You shuddered when his fingers raked your thighs, each stroke of his nails setting a trail of fire in your skin. Every nerve in your body was screaming as he began to move down from your neck, placing a line of little licks down your chest and over your breasts, taking each nipple in turn, gently biting and teasing until they ached. Your nails dug into his back, leaving crescent marks as his hand massaged down your side and over your hips, moaning loudly when he swirled two fingers around your entrance, lubricating them before plunging them deep inside you. He rubbed them up against that sensitive patch as he drew them out, circling up and over your throbbing clit for a moment, working his way back down and pressing them inside you again.

Reaching down when the pre-orgasmic waves swimming throughout your body began to collect deep in your abdomen at a rapid rate, you pushed his hand away and tugged at his arm, making him shuffle up, so he was lying entirely on top of you.

"I don't want your fingers, I want you." you managed to whisper in his ear through your little breaths.

 

Your heart leapt when his lips curved into a sensual smile, pinning your arms above your head and lacing your fingers with his, wiggling himself between your legs and using his thighs to push them apart. A strangled gasp erupted in your throat when he rubbed himself between your folds, grazing over your bundle of nerves that sent spikes of electrical pleasure straight through you.

Again and again he rubbed over you, capturing your lips in a passionate kiss, which made you arch your back and your legs splay out wider in attempts to stop him from teasing you. Pulling away when you fought for air, you began shuddering uncontrollably from his torturous ministrations, hooking your leg over his hip and straining to get him to move lower.

"Jacob, please..."

He let go of your arms and slid them under your back, lifting you up and pulling you in his lap as he tucked his legs beneath him, his cock still pulsing hard up against your folds.

"I want you to answer my question from earlier."

Looking up and capturing his gaze, your already hot cheeks flushed even further, and you began chewing at your lip as a wave of nervousness mingled in with the burning desire inside you.

"I think you already know what the answer is." 

You threw your head back and moaned when he began peppering kisses over your chest again, pushing his hips up so he pressed even harder against your clit, making you sure that you were going to go crazy if you didn't have him inside you soon.

"There's a difference between thinking and knowing. Tell me." 

Lolling your head forwards, you raised your hands and cupped his face, tilting his head up so his lips were less than an inch from yours. Closing your eyes and swallowing hard, your heart pounding so furiously you were sure he could hear it, you kissed him softly, just for a moment, before leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Because I love you."

Your breath caught in your throat when you felt him tense up underneath you, your stomach tying in knots when he just sat there silently, his fingers massaging small circles down your back. Pulling back timidly, you kept your eyes closed when you knew you were facing him, until you felt his hand leave your back and draw up to your cheek, his thumb caressing the faint scar that remained next to your lips. Flickering your eyes open, a soft smile crept up your face when you saw he was grinning wildly, his pupils so full that you could barely see any colour. You gasped when he slid his arm underneath your rear and easily lifted you high up against him, manoeuvring himself so he lined up with your entrance and lowering you down so painstaking slowly that it made you quiver to your core.

He held you still for a moment, winding his arms around your waist while his eyes roamed over where the two of you are connected, drifting up until he reaches your gaze again.

"I love you too" he breathed, his voice now coarse and thick with desire.

Pulling him to you and kissing him intensely, he swallowed your moan in between the flurry of teeth and tongues when he began thrusting up into you gently, in complete contrast with his mouth. It wasn't long before your body started to tense, his teasing and the surge of emotions running wild inside you had stripped your nerves bare; every caress, every thrust, sending intensifying waves of heat rolling through you.

You broke away from his lips and began to claw at his back when the pressure within you threatened to break, your entire frame humming as he watched you beginning to come undone, savouring in every twitch, every moan that fell from your lips that he was sure would be ingrained in his memory for a very long time. His grip tightened around you as you cried out and flooded warmly against him, not explosively, but so completely that the whole of your body ached with it.

Slumping forward and murmuring his name over and over as he slowed his pace to let you ride out your high, you looked up breathlessly to see his eyes widened in surprise as his fingers moved down to feel your climax dripping over his legs. You could practically feel his heart swelling to near bursting as he leant you back and gently lay you down on the bed, hooking your leg over his hip and thrusting into you deeply.

The embers of your spent climax were starting to light again when his pace began to quicken and he buried his face in your neck, whispering your name in between his deep groans as he kissed and sucked at every bit of your skin that he could reach. The bed began to shake when he slid his hands underneath your rear, plunging into you with such ardour that it made you buck up against him and quiver as the tension inside you grew to almost painfully.

The movements of his hips started to become more frantic, and his fingers dug into you almost bruisingly as you squeezed and tightened up around him, balancing on the very edge, only the slightest push would send him toppling over. That push came when he changed angle, just slightly and thrust particularly deep inside you, making your whole body convulse with the surge of fire that scorched through your blood, that was intensified by the deep groan that tore from his throat as he spilt himself into your depths. 

You held onto each other tightly as your ragged breaths started to slow, your body twitching slightly in sensitivity as the hair on his chest rubbed against your sweat laced breasts when he shifted to your side, so he didn't crush you with his weight when he finally collapsed.

Smiling when he draped his arm lazily over your waist and planted wet kisses over your cheek, you managed to use your feet to pull up the blanket high enough to draw it over you both before the cold sank in when you looked over to see the fire had gone out.

"Was that the first time you'd said that?"

You shuffled about and turned on your side to wrap your arm and leg around him and kiss him gently, smirking against his lips when he tickled the back of your thigh.

"Yes. What about you?"

"Yep. Tell me again?"

Snuggling into his chest when he slid his arm underneath you and pulled you closer, you let out a soft yawn as you basked in the hazy afterglow of your climax, tiredness beginning to sink its claws into you.

"Mmmmm. I love you."

Flicking your eyes open when you could feel him holding back a chuckle, you poked him in his chest and strained your neck to look at him, to see him staring down at you with his bright smile and adoration in his eyes.

"Whats so funny?"

"Oh nothing, just didn't expect things to turn out this way. I knew you couldn't resist me, but this is just the icing on the cake."

"Why you..."

Pulling out the pillow from under his head, you managed to swat him with it once before he snatched it out of your grasp, throwing it onto the floor before grabbing you and rolling onto his back, holding you firmly against him with one hand and cupping your chin with the other.

"Shouldn't that be the other way around? From what I've been told you've been smitten with me from the start."

You giggled as he scowled at you devilishly, pulling you in for a deep kiss that left you slightly breathless again.

"Hmm, not at all surprised that my sister couldn't keep her mouth shut."

"Ah ha, so it is true."

Stifling a laugh as you lay your head on his chest when he began mumbling obscenities under his breath about Evie, you took a deep sigh when he wrapped his arms around you and pecked the top of your head.

"Yes it's true, don't let it go to your head."

"I'll try not to."

Yawning profusely now, you closed your eyes as exhaustion overwhelmed you, only barely registering Jacobs hands tracing lazy patterns over your back, whispering softly against your hair.

"I love you."


	12. Chapter 12

Waking up early the next morning shivering violently, you looked up to see that you were now on your side balancing on the very edge of the bed, narrowing your eyes when you realised that Jacob had stolen all of the blankets. Sliding off as quietly as you could, you pulled on your clothes and did them up quickly, rummaging about in hopes that there was some coal left to make another fire. Scowling when you found there was none, you crept back to your room, sniggering when you saw Jacob peeking over the top of the covers.

"What time is it?" 

"Seven. Now you're awake I think we better go before more police turn up."

Sitting on the edge of the bed and giggling when Jacob grimaced and dropped his head back down, you tugged at the corner of the blanket which only made him pull his legs up.

"Seven? Why is it light out then?"

"It's seven in the morning, you do realise that there are two of them in the day?"

Tugging at the blanket again, you burst out laughing when he pulled it around him as tight as he possibly could, making just his eyes and the top of his head visible.

"You liar, there's only one, and this isn't it. Need. More. Sleep. Come back to bed."

Winding the corner of the cover around your hand, you yanked as hard as you could, but he had a much better grip on it than you, so it ended up with him chuckling as you fell back and landed on your backside with a thud. Clambering up and rubbing your ass, you gave up with an exasperated sigh and put your hands on your hips, glaring at him.

"You're impossible you know that?"

"Yeah, but you love me, soooo..."

You bit your lip in attempts to hide your grin when he eventually propped himself against the headboard and winked at you cheekily, jumping and turning around startled when the door burst open behind you.

"Miss (Name)? What on earth are you doing here?"

Dropping your gaze to the floor as Inspector Abberline stared at you disapprovingly, your face set ablaze when he moved forward a couple of steps and spotted Jacob still slumped in your bed.

"Jacob. Should have known you had something to do with this. Do you mind telling me why two of my men are tied up outside with lumps on their heads the size of melons?"

Bringing your hand up to cover your mouth as you unintentionally snorted when you remembered the policemen bound by their own belts outside your door, you faked a frown and stared at some invisible thing on the wall instead of meeting Abberlines annoyed gaze.

"Oh Freddie, calm down. You work your men too hard, they looked like they needed a nap. I just helped them get one."

Your whole body vibrated with pent-up laughter as your eyes flickered over to Jacob, who was grinning wildly and not at all caring that he was pretty much naked apart from the blanket draped over his lower half.

"I swear to god Jacob Frye, you'll give me a heart attack one of these days. And you Miss, I'd have thought you would have known better. Five minutes, and I want you out. Please."

Picking up the discarded pillow off the floor and throwing it at Jacob when Freddie left and pulled the door closed behind him, you yelped when he leapt up off the bed and caught you in his arms, covering your face in sloppy kisses. Only just able to wiggle free and push him back down onto the bed, you started to collect his clothes up and fling them at him, urging him to get dressed before the Inspector came back.

"He said we have five minutes. There's a lot we can do in that time."

Throwing his coat over his head and going back into your shop in search of his top hat, you picked it up off the counter and placed it on your head, grinning as you saw his expression when you walked back over to him, which was now borderline carnal as his eyes flickered over you.

"I know what your thinking...." you whispered seductively as you leant forwards and placed your hands on his knees, nudging his nose with your own.

"Maybe if you're really good, I'll wear this again, and nothing else."

Gasping when he quickly pulled you against him and gave you a bruising kiss, you managed to pull back and smirk at him just as he went to tug at your shirt.

"Oh, that mind of yours is positively filthy. Wonder what else goes on in that pretty head of yours?"

"Filthy? Me? I'm a good girl."

Tossing him back his hat when he finally pulled his clothes back on; barely doing anything up, you smiled sweetly and pulled him towards the door, laughing when he shook his head in mock disbelief.

 

 

"Henry? I got your note, what did you... Oh, shall I come back later?"

Poking your head round to the back room of the Curio shop, you grinned as you saw Evie leaning over the desk and examining a map of London, with Henry stood _very_ close behind her, gazing down and smiling warmly. You raised your eyebrows and winked at him when his attention snapped up to you, clearing his throat and taking a step back when he realised just how close he was to Evie.

"Erm, no (name), we were just trying to locate another of Starricks henchmen, please come in."

"Who you looking for? Anyone I know?"

Walking over to the desk and leaning over to glance over the map, you smiled at Evie when she slid it towards you, raising an eyebrow hopefully.

"Edith Swinebourne, she's a Templar gang leader."

Picking up the nearby pencil off the counter, you traced a small circle on the paper, sliding it back to Evie who was staring at it intently as you had marked nowhere near where she had been looking.

"Shes at the Thames, I used to see her there every time I took something to Ned for him to sell. Nasty piece of work, and sneaky as they come."

Your eyebrows raised in confusion when Evie stared at Henry and nodded, becoming even more bewildered when he went to the other side of the room and roamed around in a cupboard for a moment, before pulling out a small chest and dropping it onto the table carefully.

"This is for you (name). I think you will put it to better use than I, and you definitely deserve it."

Tracing your fingers over the dusty chest, you gingerly flicked the lock and peeked inside, your eyes widening in shock when you saw a bracer fitted with a hidden blade, almost exactly like Henrys.

"Wha... I can't... For me?!...."

You just stood there staring at it for a moment utterly aghast until you felt Henry's hand on your shoulder and squeezing gently, looking back up to see the two assassins with smiles on their faces.

"You have been doing a lot to help us with our cause (name), and you have shown many traits of a member of our creed. It seems only fitting that you should have a symbol of your dedication."

Grinning wildly as Henry pulled out the bracer and handed it to you, you pulled up your sleeve quickly and fastened it around your wrist as tightly as it would go, cocking your head when it slid easily up and down your arm.

"I don't know what to say, apart from thank you! It is a little loose, would you mind if I got it adjusted?"

Turning your attention to Evie who was now gathering up the maps off the table, she dropped them in surprise as you stepped forward and gave her a brief hug in thanks.

"Erm yes. Well. You should make sure it fits correctly, just assure me that you won't flit around London creating mayhem with my brother?"

"I won't." 

Tracing your fingers over the details of the leather, you smiled at Henry who just chuckled and went to help Evie pick up the papers, then you grimaced for a moment when you realised who you would have to see to alter your new accessory.

"Right, now that's sorted, we need to make plans to deal with this newest Templar threat. This afternoon would be a good time, and give us long enough to prepare. Where is my brother by the way (name)?"

"Erm, flitting around London creating mayhem?"

You bit your lips together to keep yourself from laughing when she gave out an exasperated sigh and shook her head, letting a small giggle slip out when you saw that Henry was doing the same expression as you.

 

 

Walking down the docks on the outskirts of the City of London, you stood hesitantly outside of the shop that you needed to sort your bracer. Unclasping the blade from it and sliding it into your hidden pocket, you adorned your best fake smile and burst through the door and slammed it loudly shut behind you, startling the middle-aged man who had his back to you sat at the counter. 

"Charlie, long time no see."

You snickered when the gangly man turned around in surprise, pushing his broken glasses back up his nose with his arm as he had his hands full with a pile of leather scraps.

"(Name)? What are you doin 'ere? Looking for a job?"

Clenching your teeth in annoyance as you walked over to his workstation when he chuckled to himself and dropped the load down, you pulled up your sleeve and quickly unbuckled the cuff, gingerly handing it to him.

"No. I do not need a job. I want you to fix this, so it fits me please."

Only just resisting the urge to punch him when he smirked at you, you wandered around the store and fiddled with some of the items he was halfway through making while he examined your bracer.

"Now there's a first. Neva thought you'd be askin me for summat. Who did you pinch this off? I can do it, ave it done by next week."

Freezing in your tracks, you dropped down the shoddily made knife hilt you were looking at and stared at him in disbelief, knowing that it would never take that long, even as slow as he was.

"Next week?! No, I need it today. Like, three hours from now, and I didn't steal it, it was a gift."

"Riiiight... Well, you've got no chance. Business has tripled since you closed down. What can I say, I'm a man in demand. Though, I _might_ be able to do it, fer the right price."

Your patience wearing thin, you stormed over to the counter and pulled out a coin bag full of money that you had managed to pocket on your way over here, dropping it in front of him with a thud.

"That enough?"

Crossing your arms over your chest while you watched him tip out the contents of the bag and count up what was there, you clenched your fists tightly when he started shaking his head.

"Not quite. Wha' else you got?"

"I don't have anything else! What more could you possibly want?"

You put your hands on your hips angrily while he rubbed his grubby hand against the stubble on his chin, narrowing your eyes when he snapped his fingers and pointed in the direction of his anvil.

"You can 'elp me catch up. Farrier needs shoes doin, and fast. You do that, I'll fix this for yer. Deal?"

Turning around to see where he was gesturing to, your face dropped in dismay when you saw a rather hefty crate nearly overflowing with thick metal rods.

"Horseshoes? That's apprentice work. Where's yours?"

"Little shit went and done a runner, good job really weren't that great anyway. So's that a yes or no? A'vent got all day."

Slumping your shoulders in defeat, you pulled off your coat and rolled up your sleeves, picking up the nearby apron with just your thumb and forefinger and grimacing before tossing it to one side.

"You mean he saw sense and got away when he had the chance? Good on him. Fine, I'll do your bloody shoes, this better be worth it."

 

 

Dunking the curved metal in the bucket of water next to you to cool it down enough so you could examine it quickly, you tossed it on the pile with the others when you decided it was finished. You had given up counting how many you had done when you hit two dozen, and began mumbling obscenities under your breath when you used the tongues to pick up another molten hot rod out of the pit.

"Oi, (name), I'm done. Are you?" 

Dropping the rod back down, you pulled off your gloves and scowled when you saw that there were still a few horseshoes left to be made.

"Four left. But I'm refusing to do anymore, I've already done a days work in three and a half hours, so that's more than fair."

Grabbing your coat and draping it over your arm as you were far too hot to put it back on, you sauntered over to the front of the shop, your eyes widened in shock when Charlie tossed you your bracer.

"S'pose that'll do. I'm takin credit for yer work by the way."

You waved your hand dismissively as you continued to scrutinise the bracer, pleasantly surprised with the work that he had done. The tan leather had now been dyed black, making the engravings in the hide even more prominent, and the new buckles and straps had been polished to a lustrous shine, matching the bronze and gold adornments on the gauntlet.

"Noone will ever believe that you made those shoes anyway. You're a great tanner, but a shit blacksmith. And no, I will never admit that to anyone, ever, before you ask."

Sliding the contraption on your arm and fastening it tightly around your wrist, you fumbled in your coat and pulled out the attachment, laughing at Charlie when he backed away with his arms raised as you slid it into place and flicked your wrist, making the blade shoot out almost silently before retracting it again.

"Oh, if you don't mind, I'll be taking the money back. I've done far more than this is worth today unless you'd rather me go to the farrier and recommend someone else to do his orders? Plus, you owe me for stealing my customers from right under my nose."

Snatching the bag from his now trembling hand when he reached under the corner and held it out to you, you stuffed it back in your pocket and gave him an exaggerated bow, stomping out of his shop with a smug grin at finally being able to get your own back at him after all this time.

 

 

Hitching several rides unnoticed on the backs of carriages to the edge of the Thames, you ran as fast as you could the rest of the way, getting to where you had marked on the map just as Evie pulled up in a cart. Pulling your sleeve up when she jumped out and looked at you questioningly, you grinned when she gave you a nod of approval.

"Very nice (name). Now, where is that damned brother of mine?"

Staring at the gang of blighters further down the bridge, which seemed to be getting bigger by the second as Evie frowned and looked around furiously, your attention was pulled away to someone shouting behind you, grinning as you saw Jacob leisurely walking in your direction with a hefty group of his Rooks. 

"Ah, the two most important ladies in my life. Ready to have some fun?"

Giggling as Evie rolled her eyes and sighed when Jacob draped his arms over yours and her shoulders, you raised your arm to show him your new hidden blade, smirking when his eyes widened in surprise.

"Where did you get that?!"

"Henry. He said I'd probably need it when you get me into trouble again."

Pulling your sleeve down when he playfully scowled at you, you nudged him in his side and winked at him as he dropped his arm from your shoulders.

"I'm joking. But Henry did give it to me."

"Right, lets not dally, shall we? There are blighters to dispose of."

Taking a deep breath when Evie pulled out her cane sword and began walking briskly over the bridge, you followed her over when Jacob raised his arm and a flurry of green and yellow headed towards the fight. Sticking with a couple of younger looking Rooks, you pulled out your dagger and advanced towards one of the big brutes, quickly stepping to the side when he lunged towards you, giving you the opportunity to sink your knife deep into his back.

Pushing the body to the ground and spinning about to see three more blighters starting to circle you, you flicked out your hidden blade and ran towards the one in the middle. Knocking her dagger out of the way and leaping onto her chest, you easily disposed of the blighter while the Rooks dealt with the others, quickly killing them while they were distracted by you.

Your attention snapped to the other side of the bridge when you heard a loud raspy voice ring through the air, to see Edith pushing through the crowd and heading towards Evie, who was busy dealing with four blighters of her own. Knowing you were nowhere near ready to take on a full-blown Templar face to face, you pulled out two throwing knives from your coat and hurled them in quick succession at the gang members Evie was fighting, making them drop to the ground as they embedded in their backs.

Evie nodded at you when she saw that you had taken out half of the blighters surrounding her after she pushed the two others over the side of the bridge, giving her the opportunity to take on Edith undistracted when she closed in on her.

Watching the rest of the blighters drop their weapons to the ground when they saw that Evie had killed their leader, you cocked your head to the side when the twins climbed on top of the nearest carriage, Jacob raising his arm to call the attention of the remaining gang members.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We are Jacob and Evie Frye! And as of this moment, you all work for us!"

 

Breathing a sigh of relief when several applauses rang through the air, you scoffed when you saw that Jacob had jumped down and was stood next to a Rook that you recognised, who was busy gushing and flirting with him. As soon as he saw you sniggering at him, he patted her on the shoulder and ran over to you, stopping about a foot away.

"I take it that's Mary?"

"How on earth did you manage to guess that?"

Covering your mouth with your hand to hide your smile as he put his arms behind his back and stepped closer to you, you tilted your head when he leaned forward to whisper in your ear.

"I can't help being sooooo irresistible. Is she watching?"

Glancing over his shoulder to see her gaze was firmly fixed on Jacobs back, you chuckled slightly and nodded when her eyes flickered to you looking at her.

"Uh huh. Why?"

Squealing when he suddenly wrapped his arms around you, swooping you over and kissing you deeply, you giggled at the wolf whistles and cheers from the nearby Rooks as he pulled you back up with a devilish grin.

"You're evil." 

Pursing your lips together and trying to hide your expression when you saw Mary scowl at you and stomp off in the other direction, you started walking when you felt Jacobs hand at the small of your back, pushing you towards the empty carriage.

"I'm sure she'll get over me, eventually. Anyway, maybe that'll stop all the whispers going around."

"Whispers? What whispers?"

Climbing into the carriage, you picked up the reins and cracked them to get the horses into a slow gallop when Jacob slumped down in the seat next to you and laced his fingers behind his head, with apparently no intention of driving.

"My Rooks have been amusing themselves wondering if we're together or not. I think some of them even put bets on it. Which reminds me, I must find out who won."

Bursting out laughing and slowing the cart to a stop when you got to the end of the bridge, you looked around for a moment before staring at him pointedly, waiting for him to tell you where to go.

"I see, well hopefully we gave them a bit of entertainment. Which way?"

"Where else would we be going after a fight like that?"

Grinning and snapping the reins again, you turned to the left and headed towards the Strand, yelling at some orphan children to move out of the way who were busy playing in the middle of the road.

"Of course, stupid question. First rounds on you."


	13. Chapter 13

Leaning back with a smug grin on your face when your threw your cards on the table, you picked up your pint and finished it off as Jacob slapped his head in defeat.

"Bloody hell. Where did you learn how to play Draw Poker?"

"My father, we used to come down and play every day after work."

Gathering up the cards so you could shuffle them to play again, you nudged your empty tankard towards Jacob and gave him a suggestive wink.

"Keeping up with me? You'll regret it in the morning."

Laughing and shrugging your shoulders when he picked up the two empty mugs and headed towards the bar, you flexed your fingers and sighed, enjoying that you were getting to relax for the first time in a while. Just before you were about to deal out the cards, you jumped in your seat when you felt a heavy hand grasp your shoulder from behind, grimacing when you looked up to see John and two of his lackeys looming over you.

"Hi, John. Something you want?"

Raising your eyebrows when he dragged up the chair to sit beside you, you stared at the deck in your hands when he began to drum his fingers on the table in an irritating way.

"Might say that. Was hoping for a repeat of last time, you know, to make up for the black eye I got."

Slinking away from him as he scraped his chair closer to you in attempts to get what he wanted, you looked up out of the corner of your eye to see he was licking his lips, making your stomach lurch instantly.

"Umm, I don't think so. And someone is sitting there, I suggest you go before he comes back."

"He? Now you do get around a bit don't ya. Come on, just one little kiss."

Turning your head and scowling at him as you slid to the very edge of your seat when he leaned in closer and pursed his lips, you breathed a sigh of relief when Jacob came back and placed the two pints calmly on the table, his eyes crinkled in irritation.

"You're in my seat."

The corner of your lips twitched when John slowly turned his head and looked up and down over Jacob, slightly recognising him and obviously thinking he wasn't a threat when he turned back to you and grabbed your wrist firmly.

"I think you'll find it's my seat now, so why don't you piss off. Prick."

Trying to twist your arm free but failing when his grip tightened around it, you looked up at Jacob who now had his jaw clenched in annoyance while he glared at John and the blighters; who were busy laughing at him, sniggering when you saw his hand slide into his pocket as you knew exactly what was in there.

"I'll give you one more chance. The ladies with ME. Get out of my seat."

"Give _me_ one more chance? I don't think so mate."

You just stared when John motioned to his henchmen, and they began cracking their knuckles loudly, the entire pub going quiet when the first one advanced and Jacob pulled his hand from his coat, punching him straight in the jaw and knocking him clean out thanks to the brass knuckles he had on his fingers.

John let go of your arm and jumped up when his underling collapsed on the ground, squaring up to Jacob menacingly before turning his head to the bar when the owner shouted out.

_"Oi! Take it outside!"_

Leaping up out of your chair when John nodded his head towards the door, you grinned when Jacob took off his hat and dropped it onto your head as he went to follow the big blighter out.

"Friend of yours?"

"Most definitely not."

"Good. Because if he was, he most certainly won't be after this." He chuckled as he rolled his shoulders and stepped out into the street to where John was waiting for him.

You burst out laughing when the other gang member stumbled out with his now half-conscious friend slumped over his shoulder, shuffling away as quickly as he could from the pub and out of sight. Glancing around to see most of the patrons had come outside to watch the fight, you turned your attention to the middle of the road, just as Jacob struck out and hit John square in the gut. Your eyebrows raised in surprise when John barely flinched from the blow, grabbing Jacob by the scruff of his neck and pushing him to the ground with a cackle.

The next two blows ended up with the exact same outcome, making you feel slightly nervous as you could see Jacob getting slightly annoyed at being toyed with. Blowing him a kiss when he looked your way, you chuckled when he grinned and gave you a cheeky wink, making you realise that it was Jacob mocking John, not the other way around. Obviously starting to get bored with the fight, Jacob ran up to John and grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him down to waist height with a resounding crick and kneeing him in the face, following up with a hefty thump to the back of his head which made him slump to the floor in defeat.

Cocking your head to one side when you peeked through the cheering crowd and saw Jacob grab Johns head, saying something to him before dropping him back to the ground, you ran over and jumped at him, dropping his hat back on his head when he caught you and kissed you briefly.

"What did you say to him?"

Linking your arm through his and walking back into the Lord Nelson, you sat back down in your seats and took a large gulp of your beer, as if you hadn't just disturbed the whole pub with your shenanigans.

"Nothing much, he won't bother you anymore that's for sure. Tell me, did I see you looking worried there for a minute?"

Looking a bit sheepish when he sat there grinning at you, you took another slow sip of your drink, trying to hide your embarrassment in thinking he would lose for a moment.

"Now why would I worry, I've seen you fight plenty of times. Now I just need to think of a way to thank you."

Chuckling when his face lit up, and he sat there pondering for a moment, your eyes widened as he shuffled up closer to you when he had thought of something, whispering in your ear almost inaudibly. Looking back up at him to see a tinge of pink creep up his face, you stifled a giggle and trailed your fingers up his leg, making him fluster slightly more.

"Why Jacob, I do believe this is the first time I've seen you blush. Of course I'll do that again, I'm surprised that's all you want."

Laughing and grabbing the deck of cards when he nearly choked on his swig of beer, you wiped the trickle that had run down his chin with the back of your hand and licked it off, before flicking through the deck to find the Jokers.

"What do you mean, that's all? Do you have any idea how good it feels when you do that?"

"Hmm, can't say that I do, as I don't have one of those...." you tittered as you poked him gently between the legs "But if the other way around is anything to go by, I'm sure I can hazard a guess which is why I agreed."

Squealing when he threw his arm over your shoulders and grinned smugly, planting several wet kisses over your cheek, you leant over and scoured the floor for the cards you had just dropped.

 

 

Stumbling out of the pub several hours later when the owner finally kicked you out, you shivered and pulled your coat tightly around you when the cold night air quickly sunk into your clothes.

"Come on then Mister Assassin, where's the train?"

Rubbing your arms to stay warm as you watched Jacob climb up the side of the tallest building on the street and perch on top of it, peering out into the distance, you stood staring in amazement when he threw himself off the roof and landed neatly in a nearby haycart.

"It's this way. How are you still standing after all that beer?"

Sliding your arm under his coat and wrapping it around his waist as he led you in the direction of the tracks, you chewed your lip as you tried to figure out how he could see the train from here.

"It's always taken a lot to get me drunk. Which is annoying when you're living out of other peoples pockets. So, are you going to tell me how you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You know, that."

You pointed up to the roof of the building he just jumped off, not knowing another way to explain what you were asking.

"Oh that. I can see things, or people from far away, even in the dark. Like using a telescope, but better. A few assassins learn how to do it."

Raising your eyebrows in disbelief, you stopped in your tracks and stood in front of him, flicking your eyes over his face for any hints that he was lying.

"So, if I went and hid somewhere, you could find me straight away?"

"Yep. I can see you don't believe me, so why don't you try it out? Go and hide, I'll wait here."

Waving your hand in front of his face when he pulled his hat over his eyes, making sure that he couldn't see anything, you turned around and sprinted off in the direction of the bridge. Veering off towards the park running down the side of it, you hid behind the wall next to some high bushes and kept as still as possible, satisfied that you were well hidden, hoping your heavy breathing wouldn't give away where you were. After several minutes of waiting, you cursed yourself for falling for such an obvious trick, when all of a sudden Jacob jumped off the edge of the bridge and landed next to you, grinning wildly.

"You really can......."

"Of course I can, why would I lie? Least of all to you."

You were now more than slightly impressed, pulling him close and kissing him softly when he wrapped his arms around you and chuckled. Feeling encouraged somewhat by the amount of alcohol you had drunk, you turned him around slowly and pushed his back up against the wall, dropping your arm in between you to fiddle with the top button of his trousers.

"What are you doooooing?"

Looking around quickly to make sure that there was definitely nobody about, you twisted the button free, grinning as he shuddered when your fingers grazed his abdomen, moving on to the next.

"Your reward of course. Better here than being disturbed on the train."

When you managed to get the last button undone, he let out a small hiss through his teeth when you slid your hand under the fabric and closed your hands around him, drawing out his already semi-hard length.

"Well yes, but didn't expect you to be the outdoor type."

"Hmm, I guess you've been rubbing off on me."

Stroking him gently a few times and kissing him quickly, you dropped to your knees and trailed your tongue over his shaft before plunging your mouth over him, your eyes smiling when he let out a loud gasp. Resting your hands on his hips, you took him back as far as you could go, gently suckling on him and quite enjoying the feeling of him growing to full hardness in your mouth.

A giggle vibrated in your chest when his hands lightly twisted in your hair, raising your eyebrows in surprise when you felt him tense up and inhale sharply at the sensation. Looking up to see him gazing down at you lustfully through half-lidded eyes, you drew back and slid your lips over him again, pressing your tongue firmly against the underside, keeping your eyes on him as you repeated the same noise. Feeling a swell of pride as he threw his head back and closed his eyes, you continued to work over him, your tongue flicking and circling over the tip before taking him to nearly the back of your throat.

Gently wrapping your hand around the base now that he was slicked up, you began to move it in unison with the bobbing of your head, your own arousal spiking when a low growl erupted from his chest, and his grip tightened slightly in your hair. Ignoring the throbbing between your legs, you wiggled your tongue over the thick vein underneath, sucking your cheeks in to create more pressure around him. Letting go of his waist when the expected hand came down and nudged your chin, you brushed it away and continued what you were doing, gripping more firmly when his breathing became heavier and straining in holding himself back.

"When I asked for this... I didn't mean.. you don't have to...Oh god..." he managed to stammer out through his panting as he reached down to stop you again.

Grabbing his hand and holding it tightly against his leg, speeding up your movements when you felt him start to tremble and pulse against your tongue, you kept up the pressure around him but stilled your head when he let out a deep moan and emptied himself with an explosive spurt, letting him use your mouth to ride out his climax as he wanted. Swallowing the hot, thick fluid quickly, you slowly drew back off him and used your tongue to collect any missing drips, letting go of him with a soft pop and tucking him back into his trousers neatly before doing up the buttons.

Licking your lips and letting out a pleased sigh when you stood up and saw he had his eyes closed with a silly grin on his face, you giggled when he pulled you into his arms and littered small kisses all over your head and cheeks.

"You are _such_ trouble. I wasn't expecting that."

Smiling coyly and grabbing his arm to carry on walking to the train, you lurched forwards and turned your head in surprise when he didn't move with you.

"What about you? Surely you don't want to be left out?"

Smirking when he cupped your rear and pulled you firmly against him, acknowledging that what you'd just done *had* excited you quite a bit, you squeezed your legs together when the thought of pulling your trousers down in this temperature started to make you shudder.

"I didn't do that to get something in return, I did it because I wanted to. Besides, I don't fancy freezing my ass off."

"Hmmm, there is more than one carriage on the train you know."

Your eyes widened in amusement when he spun around and pulled your arms over his shoulders, making you lift up and wrap your legs around his waist as he carried you off towards the station.


	14. Chapter 14

Walking into Aleck's workshop behind Jacob, your eyes widened when he turned around with a start, dropping the tools he was using with a clang on the counter.

"Oh Jacob, (name), it's just you, thank goodness!"

The corner of your mouth twitched when you felt Jacobs hand slide around your waist for a moment, before stepping forward with his head tilted, slightly puzzled.

"Aleck are you okay? You look a bit frazzled."

"Nerves, Starrick keeps sending those great oafs around to coax me. He's offering me a ridiculous amount of money."

Stepping to one side quickly when Aleck rushed past you, you peered out of the window he was staring out of and lay your hand on his shoulder to try and reassure him when he began wringing his hands fretfully again.

"Not thinking about jumping ship are you?" Jacob asked hesitantly, his fingers twitching as he waited for his response.

"Never. I've been working on these. Hopefully, they will stun an assailant, should the need arise."

"You got them working then?"

Taking one of the contraptions that you had made the last time you were here, you studied it for a moment, wondering how he had managed to fill it with, well, anything.

"In a manner of sorts, I've made three with various degrees of acidity, one of them should be the right combination."

"Well, let's go and find some of Starricks men to test them out."

Taking the other two bombs from the inventor, you quickly pocketed them and headed towards the door when Jacob went to rush out.

"Wait! Speaking of Starrick, he's still transmitting false information."

Turning back and glancing down at his telegraph machine, you flicked your eyes over the several deciphered documents laying on top of it, describing the benefits of 'Starricks Syrup'. Before you had a chance to ask anything about it, Aleck rushed off to the window again, grimacing when a couple of men with red coats walked by.

"Perfect timing. They look angrier than normal. How about we play a little linguistic game with them? You two go up to the roof, and when I say the name of, let's say, a fruit, drop a bomb on them. Then we'll find out which one works."

Nodding your head and running outside, you held onto Jacob when he shot his grappling hook out, climbing over to the other side of the house and balancing on the edge of the roof. Pulling the bombs out of your pocket, you frowned as you looked over them again, not entirely sure if you should be experimenting with them so close to other people.

"Do you think they will work?"

Shrugging your shoulders and handing Jacob the first bomb, you glanced down to the ground to see Aleck walk through the alleyway, arguing with two blighters in tow.

"I have no idea. I made the casing, but as for whatevers inside them? It could do anything."

"Such a clever girl."

Grinning and nudging him in the arm when you heard Aleck shout out the word _Pear,_ you covered your face when he threw the bomb to the ground and it exploded next to the blighters, a foul smell, similar to rotten eggs billowing through the air.

"Oh my god. That's disgusting! Well, that one definitely doesn't work."

Skittering over the roof as Aleck continued down the alley still arguing, you passed Jacob the next contraption, hoping that the next one had the right concoction inside.

"So, how you doing with that hidden blade? Do we need to practice with it?"

Grinning when he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, you peered over the edge to see the quarrel still in full force, making something out about some telegraph machine.

"Not had much of a chance to use it yet, but you know I wouldn't refuse a demonstration."

You were so preoccupied with improper thoughts that you hadn't noticed that Jacob had thrown the next device down, until green smoke wafted up from below you, smelling even worse than the first.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

You held onto your stomach tightly as you balanced on a wooden beam and traversed further down across the roofs, sitting down slightly further back as you passed over the last bomb, thankful for the fresh air now the noxious cloud had gone.

"Doesn't that stink bother you? I'm about to bring up my lunch."

"Nope. Trust me, I've smelled a lot worse than that. Ever been near a body that's been dead for a week?"

Covering your mouth and shaking your head firmly at the thought of coming across such a thing, you slapped him across the arm when he started chuckling at you.

"Not something I ever plan on seeing. Come on Aleck, this ones gotta work."

_You're as purple as a PLUM!_

Holding your breath when Alecks last signal rang through the air and Jacob threw the last bomb down, you breathed a sigh of relief when sparks erupted from the ground and the blighters shook for a moment when they were stunned. Your eyes widened in shock when Jacob stood and pulled you up with him, getting ready to jump down when the gang members shook themselves off and turned on Aleck.

"Wait, I can't jump that far...."

"Yes, you can, I've got you."

Not even having a chance to argue, your heart leapt into your throat and you yelped out in panic when he wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you off the roof with him. You suddenly felt quite smug when reflex kicked in and you flicked out your blade, sinking it into the blighters back as you landed on him, not cleanly, but well enough so that you weren't hurt.

Slightly bewildered at what you had just done, you took Aleck's hand as he extended it to help you up, immediately turning to Jacob who was beaming at you with joy.

"See! I knew you could do it."

Still speechless when he threw his arm over your shoulder and gave you a huge kiss on your cheek, you looked up to Aleck and smiled as he puffed out his chest, not looking like he was going to shake apart with nerves anymore.

"Just a blacksmith eh? Well, thanks to both your presence, it gave me the courage that I never thought I had."

"Bravo Aleck. Now, shall we sort out Starricks propaganda machine? You coming, dear?"

Nodding softly as the men began walking down the alleyway towards a nearby carriage, you managed to shake yourself off just as you climbed in the rear seat, there not being enough room for all three of you in the front. Leaning back and letting the men converse while you headed towards Southwark, you made a mental note to attempt leaping off buildings like a crazy woman over the next few days. Your ears pricked when you heard your name being mentioned, slumping forward and extending your hand as Aleck passed you several more of his Voltaic bombs.

"We'll have to get in undetected, the factory is well guarded."

"(Name) and I will stun and distract them, you sneak inside."

"I shall take out not one, not two, but three parts of his transmitter, that will render it all but useless."

Sliding out when Jacob pulled the carriage over to a stop, you laughed when he caught you around the waist and dropped you gently to the ground, his face still filled pride as you headed into the telegraph station. Walking under the bridge to the main door of the station, you waved for Aleck to hang back when you saw that there were two of Starricks men guarding the entrance. 

"You take the one on the right?"

Nodding as you pulled a device out of your pocket, you took a deep breath and hurled it towards the feet of the gang members, flicking out your blade and running towards your target when they began convulsing from the electric shock. Retracting your blade and pushing the dead body to the ground, you quickly slid your hand in your pocket, wincing at the slight nick down the side of your thumb, as you had forgotten that the weapon you were now using was attached to your arm.

Following Jacob in when Aleck had caught up, you stood next to the inventor when you reached a desk with some sort of mechanical box on it.

"I'll stay here with Aleck, you can deal with those."

Jacob grinned when he saw the blighters you were pointing to running down the corridor, sprinting off to face them before they reached where you were. You took the opportunity to have a look at your hand, turning your back to Aleck so he wouldn't see the blood while you tended to the cut. Using your handkerchief to press against the wound, you sighed when you saw that it wasn't that bad, only the sharpness of the blade had made it bleed quite profusely. 

Wrapping the cloth around your thumb, you managed to clasp your hand around it just as you heard a crackle coming from behind you, turning around to see a wisp of smoke coming from the desk.

"That's one, the next is over the other side."

Running back down the corridor and meeting up with Jacob who had just finished taking out the blighters, you followed them both to the other side, crouching down against the inner wall of the cubicle when you noticed there were two ways in and out of it.

"Aleck... Hurry, they're coming."

"I am, I am, just a few more moments."

Peeking around the corner to see the group of assailants split up so they could take you from either side, you pulled out a knife and threw it at the larger one, making the other one freeze for a moment when he saw his colleague drop to the floor. Turning your head to see Jacob fighting the other two, you flicked your wrist, making sure to keep your hand out of the way this time, and jumped from around the corner, sinking the knife into the blighter's chest just as Aleck finished sabotaging the transmitter.

"This is becoming quite the adventure! The last ones this way, quickly."

Grinning when Jacob pulled you into running beside him, the adrenaline running through you perking you up, you skidded to a stop when you reached the final location, unsheathing your dagger in tandem with your blade when nearly a dozen henchmen came sprinting towards you. With Jacob taking the lead, you hung back slightly to protect where Aleck was, quickly disposing of anyone that slipped past the assassin, or that he launched towards you.

Your eyes widened when one of them managed to push past you, throwing yourself into her when she pulled out a gun, ensuring the bullet missed Aleck by mere inches but making you drop your dagger in the process. Trying to clamber up off her so you could turn around to take her out, you yelped when she pulled your leg and picked up your blade, climbing on top of you and getting ready to lunge. Raising your arm when she plummeted her hand down, you just managed to stop the dagger sinking into your chest, clenching your teeth together as you strained in holding her up.

You swallowed a cry when the tip of the knife slowly pressed into just below your collarbone, the sting and the trickle of blood running down your neck giving you a surge of strength, just enough to push her to the side and lash out with your own blade and sink it deep between her ribs.

"(Name)! Are you alright?!"

Pushing the dead woman off of you and taking Jacobs hand to help pull yourself up, you cringed when he threw his arms around you and held you tightly.

"I'm okay. Has Aleck finished with those contraptions?"

Brushing his hand away when he pulled down the collar of your shirt, wincing when he saw the incision, you gave him a bright smile and tried to ignore the pain in your chest.

"Yes, I'm finished (name), time to go. And thank you, for saving my life, I am in your debt."

"Well actually, there is something I need. I'll talk to you when we get back to your workshop."

Following him back through to the street when he took a slight bow and smiled, you winked at Jacob knowingly when he wound his arm around your waist and flashed you a slightly confused look.

 

 

Stuffing the last thing you needed into a sack when Jacob walked in behind you, you held it behind your back out of his reach when he tried to make a grab for it, tutting and waggling your finger.

"Jacob, (name), I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me, helping me pursue what I believe in."

Turning around and tucking the bag under your arm when Jacob made another swipe at it, you held out your hand and smiled when Aleck took it, pulling away quickly when he saw the dried blood on your neck.

"It's always a pleasure. Thank you for this by the way, it's going to help me a lot."

"Yes, well. I do suggest you vacate your workshop."

You raised your eyebrow when Jacob leaned over your shoulder to speak to Aleck, holding on to the sack more tightly when you realised why he had done it, as his hand began tugging at the cloth.

"Oh, there is no need Mister Frye. You have given me bucket loads of courage, and with my devices, I am well protected. If you both find yourselves with a moment to spare, please do drop by."

Waving as you turned on your heel and headed towards the door, you threw the bag into the back of the carriage and jumped up into the driver's seat, grimacing when the sharp pain ran through your chest again.

"Come on, let's get you fixed up."

Sliding down the seat when Jacob jumped up and began nudging you down with his ass, you handed him the reins and inhaled sharply when the carriage started moving with a jerk.

"I'm okay, it's just a scratch."

"Suuuuuure it is. I've had enough injuries to know that's not 'just a scratch'. Raise your arm."

Flinching and letting out a squeak in pain when you lifted your elbow from your side, you dropped it back down quickly and let out an exasperated sigh when you had to admit he was right.

"Okay, you win. Is this really necessary?"

Chuckling when he pulled the carriage to a stop and ran around the other side, first grabbing the sack from the back and then pulling you in his arms and carrying you to the train, you clenched your jaw when the throbbing started again even though he had put you down on the sofa carefully.

"I could have always thrown you over my shoulder again. Right, shirt off."

Raising your eyebrows when he pulled out a drawer from the desk and tipped its contents all over the top of it, you hovered your hand over your top button but didn't start undoing it.

"Wait, you're doing it?"

You became slightly nervous when he sat down next to you with a handful of bandages and pieces of cloth, wondering if you should grit through the pain and go to the hospital.

"Why not? I've done this to myself plenty of times, do you trust me?"

"Well, yes..."

"Soooo, where's the problem? Shirt. Off. Or if you prefer I could always cut it."

Stifling a giggle when you quickly undid your buttons and shuffled out of your clothing, you cocked your head in slight surprise when his gaze didn't didn't roam over you as expected, but stayed firmly fixed on either your shoulder or the dressings in his lap. Gritting your teeth when he gently began wiping away the blood to see how bad it was, your brow furrowed when a look of worry crept up his face.

"Is it bad?"

"I've seen worse, but it's going to leave a scar. You need to put your hand on my shoulder, can you manage it?"

Nodding and biting the inside of your lip, you lifted your arm, managing not to cry out through the gnawing pain, letting out a heavy sigh when he began wrapping a bandage around you tightly, the pressure helping alleviate most of the ache.

"Another momento, I'm starting to get a collection."

Grabbing your shirt when he had finished tying the bandage, you managed to pull it on without too much effort thanks to the dressing, gasping when Jacob cupped your chin and kissed you gently before pulling you against him when he leant back on the sofa.

"Yes, you are, and that worries me. Maybe you shouldn't come out anymore, I shouldn't have dragged you into this."

Sitting up with a start, you shuffled around to face him, your eyes narrowing when you could see that he was deadly serious.

"Let's just get one thing straight, Jacob Frye. You did not _drag_ me into anything. You really think you could force me to do something I didn't want to do? I've told you this before, Yes, I've been doing this to be with you, but I've been doing it for myself as well. And I will continue doing this, with or without you, because it's the right....."

You let out a small whimper when he suddenly pulled you towards him and captured your lips with his, cutting you off mid-rant, the anger that was building inside you dissolving quickly as he kissed you tenderly. Taking a deep breath when he eventually pulled away and rested his head on yours, a soft smile crept up your face when you flickered your eyes open, and he was gazing at you warmly.

"Okay okay. I just wanted to make sure. You really are something."

Shuffling back to his side and laying your head on his chest, you smirked when he went to drape his arm over your shoulder, pulling it back quickly and kissing the top of your head instead.

"Oh, I'm something alright. Mad. Crazy. Insane. Perhaps all three for falling for you."

"Wow, thanks. I love you too. But we really should get you some practice, hopefully it will prevent something like this from happening again."

Looking up and bursting out laughing when you saw that he had a wicked grin on his face, you buried your head in his coat when your cheeks turned pink as you recalled the first time he offered to help you.

"Practice? Why do I have the feeling that I wouldn't learn much?"

"Hey, I can behave. I did just now didn't I?"

You grinned when you felt him silently chuckle underneath you, flicking your eyes down to see a bulge twitching against his trousers.

"Uh huh. You managed to keep your hands in check, but what were you thinking?"

"That's beside the point. We'll give it a week until your arms a bit better, then training. Okay?"

"Okay."

Sighing softly when his hand came up to caress your cheek, a curve of a smile crept up your face when you began to get rather excited at finally being able to hold your own.


	15. Chapter 15

Glancing up when you heard the door open, you smiled brightly when Henry walked in with a small bag in his hand.

"Oh Henry, you're a life saver, thank you."

Taking the packet from him when he handed it out to you, you pulled out the meat pie and took a huge bite, stuffing your mouth full before turning back to what you were doing on the countertop.

"It is no problem (name), you really should take better care of yourself. How is it coming along?"

Slamming the screwdriver down on the counter when the casing you were trying to attach to your bracer pinged off again, you swallowed the mouthful of pastry and let out an annoyed sigh.

"It's getting there, if only I could make this damned piece fit!"

Slumping back on the stool and tucking back into your pie when Henry picked up the bracer and examined it, you grimaced as your stomach began to ache when food began to fill it for the first time in over a day.

"Why don't you take it to Aleck? He could help you get it done faster, and he will be better equipped than my curio shop."

"Because, if I take it to him, he will most likely tell Jacob, and one of two things will happen if he knows. One, he will worry and fuss. Or the second, which is much more likely, have me swinging from the rooftops like a lunatic. I'd like to have a chance to try it on my own before that happens."

Grinning when Henry burst out laughing and shrugged his shoulders in agreement, you picked up the screwdriver again and set to on the bracer when he handed it to you back.

"I see your point (name). This is rather enthusiastic though, even for you. I must say, you have exceeded all of my expectations when you agreed to aid us."

"Yes, well, you're partly to blame. You know when I've got my mind set on something I tend to go over the top. Which reminds me, you never did tell me why you never go out in the field? Pass me that hammer please."

Taking the tool from him and gently tapping the mechanism back into place, you cocked your head quizzically when he leaned on the counter, a slight grimace on his face while he was deep in thought.

"That is a long story (name). But the heart of the matter is, I am not a killer. I simply do not have the capacity for it. I failed the Assassins because I could not bring myself to take a life, and the reason I was banished from India."

Your heart tugged slightly as you listened to him recall the events from his past, but was quickly replaced by elation when you finally got the rope launcher attached to the bracer.

"Do you miss India?"

"Sometimes. But I have built a good life here, and I am happy with the work that we have been doing. Have you fixed it?"

Strapping the gauntlet back to your arm, you flicked the latch on it without the grappling hook inserted to test it, grinning wildly when the mechanism slid cleanly in its casing.

"Yup, now time to try it. And you know for a fact it's not the work that's making you happy. I can't believe you've still not done anything about it."

"There are more important matters that are to be dealt with than my affections, I cannot afford any distractions. For the moment."

Giving him a knowing look when he stared at you pointedly, you grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the shop to the side street, positioning him just behind you as you fiddled with the hook for a moment.

"Yeah, well don't take too long, I can't stand all this love-struck moping about that you've been doing. Right, I'm ready. You better catch me if this doesn't work."

Wishing you hadn't glanced back when his expression was making you even more nervous, you took a deep breath and raised your arm to aim it at the edge of the roof, and pressed the latch to release the hook. Your heart sank when nothing happened, cocking your head annoyingly as you stared at the infernal contraption on your arm. Just as you were about to lower it, you let out a yelp as the hook suddenly shot out and caught on the edge of the roof, hurling you up parallel to the wall, only just giving you time to grasp onto the ledge. Breathing frantically as you held on by your fingertips, you cried out just as your grip failed, plummeting to the ground below.

You wheezed as the breath was knocked out of you when Henry caught you in his arms, the sudden weight of you making his footing falter and fall back to the floor with a loud 'Oof' in your ear. Rolling off to the side of him quickly, you stared at him wide-eyed for a moment before both bursting out laughing in unison.

"Well, that didn't work!" You managed to stutter out through your giggling.

"I would say so (name). Are you sure you won't reconsider taking it to Aleck?"

Before you had a chance to reply, your attention was pulled away from the sound of someone clearing their throat behind you, sitting up quickly and mumbling _'shit'_ under your breath as you saw Evie staring at you with a bemused expression.

"What on earth are you doing (name)?"

Dragging yourself up and brushing yourself off quickly, you winced when the hook eventually fell from the roof and landed next to you with a resounding clang.

"Um, nothing much, just testing something out. Didn't work though."

"I see. Well do try to be careful with your 'nothing', Jacob's already been whining at me for giving you a blade without talking to him about it first."

Taking the hook and rope from Henry when he picked it up for you, your brow creased in annoyance at Jacobs reaction to Henry and Evie's gesture.

"What, I need his permission? Did you know about this?"

Henry held his hands up defensively as you stared at him pointedly, shaking his head just as Evie started laughing.

"I wouldn't give it any attention (name), surely you know what my brother is like by now. Speaking of that reckless buffoon, he wants you to meet him at the Bank of England."

Releasing the attachment from your bracer and winding the rope around it, you followed the other two back into the shop and dumped everything on the counter, before pulling out a small, heavy bag out from underneath it.

"Well that's perfect timing, I need to go to the bank. I've just about got the money to get back my shop."

"What?! (Name) that's amazing! Why didn't you tell me?" 

Grinning wildly when Henry threw his arms around you and squeezed tightly, your eyebrows raised when Evie followed suit, looking genuinely pleased with your achievement.

"Didn't want to say anything until I'd counted it all, seems that blighters carried more money than I thought."

"Well, what are you waiting for?? Go and get your shop back!"

Tightening the leather strap around your wrist as Henry brushed his knuckles over your jaw, you bounded out the door and ran down the street, skidding to a halt when you came across a carriage with a Rook in the driver's seat. 

"Erm, hi. Could you take me to the bank? Jacob's waiting for me."

Clambering up when a flash of recognition swept over his face and he tipped his hat, you could barely contain your excitement, wishing he drove just a little bit faster as you made your way towards the City of London.

 

Climbing up to the top of the building next to the bank, you sniggered under your breath when Freddie jumped and clutched his chest, finally noticing you were there as you waited for the men to finish their conversation.

"Miss (name), you scared the life out of me! I see working with Jacob has taught you to sneak up on people."

Grinning when Jacob draped his arm over your shoulders and pecked your cheek, you peered over the side of the building, eager to get down and find the managers assistant.

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you, Freddie. Now, you gonna tell me what I'm up here for? Or you gonna keep a girl waiting?"

"Ah, now we haven't got much time. (Name) you know the bank pretty well don't you?"

Your eyes narrowed as you watched Jacob stare out to the roof on the other side of the street, apparently looking for something that neither you or Freddie could see.

"Yes, unfortunately. Why? You're not planning on robbing it, are you?!"

"Not at all. The manager has been rather naughty, and I need to stop him. You didn't happen to notice a way I can get in without being seen?"

Chewing your lip as you recalled the interior of the bank, something you had spent many hours staring at when you had been waiting to speak to one of the tellers, a sly smile crept up your face when you remembered something that could help.

"There's a window, up at the top on the right. Don't think they ever close it, I got dripped on last time it rained."

"Perfect. Think you could help me out with a little distraction?"

Your whole body stiffened at the thought of making a scene in the bank, especially when you were on your way to finally get everything sorted. Jacob, picking up on your fretfulness, finally noticed the bag wrapped around your arm, realisation kicking in as to why you would be so nervous.

"Waaaaaait.. you got enough??"

A huge grin swept over his face as you nodded, throwing his arms around you and hugging so tightly you could barely breathe.

"Yes, well nearly. I'm three pounds short." You managed to wheeze out, coughing to get some air back in your lungs when he finally let go.

"Is that it? Come on Freddie cough up, help the girl out."

You stifled a giggle when the Inspector gave out a sigh and fumbled around in his pocket, shaking his head jovially when Jacob snatched several coins off him and pressed them into your palm, then squeezed your fingers closed firmly.

"I'll give you a few minutes okay? Then we need to get Twopenny, bastards probably deep in the vault by now."

Giving Freddie a quick hug for the money, you held onto Jacob as he shot out his grappling hook and lowered you both down to the street, immediately breaking out into a sprint towards the main doors of the bank. Skidding to a halt as you nearly crashed into some old dear in the foyer, you glanced around for a moment to find the man that you needed, spotting him at the far desk with several other suited men.

Pacing about impatiently for several minutes, you almost skipped over to the managers assistant when he had finally finished talking to his associates, and dropped the bag on his desk with a loud thump.

"Mister Allen, I'm sorry it took so long. Here it is, every last penny...."

Your voice trailed off as he finally looked up at you, his face filled with sorrow as he slowly sat down in his chair. Taking a few steps back when he shook his head softly, you blinked hard when the threat of tears began to burn your lids.

"I'm so sorry (name), but you are too late. The deeds were signed over a few days ago. There is nothing that can be done now."

Dropping to your knees and hanging your head in despair, you just stared at the floor as several people began to surround you, gawking and whispering about what could possibly be wrong. After what felt like hours, you swallowed hard to try and shift the lump in your throat and clambered back to your feet, shuffling back towards the desk in a daze. Picking the bag back up as Mr Allen pushed it towards you, you twisted the strap around your wrist so tightly, it almost cut into your skin.

Ignoring all the stares from the now hefty crowd of onlookers, you managed to keep your composure as you made your way back outside, barely even noticing the commotion and several policemen running about. Stumbling forward when one of the coppers ushered you away from the doors and further into the street, you jumped when you felt an arm drape over your shoulders and a kiss on the top of your head.

"Another bad guy stopped from robbing the people. Nice distraction there by the way, you should be on the stage love."

Twisting your head up to see Jacob beaming down at you, the tear that you were holding back leaked treacherously free, making his brow furrow in confusion when he raised his hand to wipe it away.

"(Name), what's wrong? What happened?"

You buried your head in his shoulder as you tried to stifle a sob, all of the misery you had been holding back flooding out in that one moment. Jacob wrapped his arms around you and held you tightly against him when he saw that the bag around your arm was still full, stroking your hair and whispering against your head.

"Oh no, you were too late...."

Pulling away slightly and nodding as you started to calm down somewhat, you dried your face with the back of your hand, trying to regain some composure as you didn't want to make any more of a spectacle of yourself.

"It's gone. It... It's all gone."

Unwinding the bag from your wrist and holding it out for Jacob to take, you stepped out of his hold and pulled yourself straight, giving him a soft smile as he kissed your cheek. 

"Um, could you take this back to the train for me? I need a walk, or something to clear my head. There's nothing you can do, so don't worry about it anymore."

Sighing when you watched him frown and rub his chin thoughtfully; something which he always did when he was hatching some kind of plan you'd noticed, you turned on your heel and ran down the street before he could say anything, wanting to be left alone for now.

 

 

Making your way to the park, you dropped yourself down underneath one of the big trees and leant up against it, dropping your head in your hands as you contemplated on what to do now. There was always the option of carrying on with what you were doing, stealing off of rich people and blighters until you had enough to buy a new place, but it wouldn't be the same. That shop was pretty much the only thing you had left that belong to your father, and the fact you had now lost it was ripping your heart to shreds.

Pulling out your pocket knife from your coat, you held onto it tightly before tracing your fingers over the engraving on the handle, which had nearly worn away over time. Another tear ran down your face as you could just make out, _'My daughter..... Love, Father.'_ choking back a hiccup as you stuffed it back into your pocket. You had no idea how long you had been sat there for, but when you finally looked up the sun was setting, the sky tinged with red slightly before thick black clouds began rolling in overhead. Dragging yourself up as you definitely weren't in the mood to get soaked, you made your way back through the park, looking around furiously when you heard a loud _'Oi'_ ring through the air.

Your eyebrows raised and you put your hands on your hips when you spotted two people wearing green jackets and hats running towards you, cursing under your breath when their faces came into view.

"Mary. Whatever it is you have to say, I'm not interested."

Becoming slightly irritated when she completely ignored you and advanced towards you menacingly, cracking her knuckles in attempts to intimidate you, the corner of your mouth twitched when you saw her colleague grab her arm to try and pull her away.

"C'mon Mare, don't do it. Don't wanna get it trouble now do ya."

"You should listen to your friend. Go away." you chided, knowing exactly what she was planning when she shrugged her friends hand off her arm.

"Made a right fool outta me you did! Don't like it when people take the piss outta me."

Catching Mary's hand when she lunged out at you suddenly, you twisted her arm around and pushed her backwards, making her fall to the floor and even angrier.

"That wasn't my intention, just let it go alright. I'm not in the mood for this.'

"Not in the mood? S'pose you were in the mood when you stole him away from me?!" 

Mary growled as she pulled herself back up and charged at you again, but you were more than prepared for the Rook as you caught her and punched her straight in the gut, kicking her feet out from underneath her in the process. Kneeling down over her as she fell to the floor again, you flicked out your hidden blade and pressed it up against her cheek, glaring as her eyes widened in terror.

"Leave. Me. Alone." You spat, pressing your blade hard enough to just cut her cheek before clambering up and pulling yourself straight. Sighing when the other Rook helped Mary up and drag her off in the other direction, you pulled your hood up as a loud clap of thunder bellowed out overhead, running as fast as you could towards the station just as the heavens opened.


	16. Chapter 16

Jumping on the train when it slowed down at the Strands station, you slumped your shoulders when you saw that there was no one aboard. Tugging off your coat and gloves; which were absolutely sodden thanks to the typical English weather, you threw them on top of the safe and sat down at the desk, resting your chin in your hands while you stared at the wall. You were so deep in thought in trying to decide where your new shop should be, that you didn't hear anyone come in behind you. Flinching slightly when a pair of arms reached over you, one wrapping around your front, the other holding a single pink rose, you immediately snapped out of your thoughts as the faint whiff of gunpowder and leather tickled your nose. A huge grin crept up your face as you took the flower; it was wilted and slightly crushed, but the gesture was still there.

Gingerly smelling it for a moment, you finally turned around in your seat, your forehead creasing in a deep frown when you saw Jacob more dishevelled than usual and sporting a slight split lip, accompanied by a deep bruise emerging on the right-hand side of his jaw.

"What happened to you??"

"Hmm? Oh nothing, blighters being rude and trying to take back the carriage I stole off them." He mumbled against your cheek after planting a wet kiss and standing up straight, pulling you up with him.

Your eyes narrowed slightly as you could tell he wasn't giving you the whole truth, but being the stubborn ass that he is, you knew that no amount of badgering him for it would get you anywhere, so you let the matter drop and turned your attention back to the flower.

"Okay. Thank you for this by the way, you always know how to cheer me up."

Chuckling when his face morphed into a rather pleased expression, you carefully placed the flower down on the desk and draped your arms over his shoulders, plucking his hat off his head and dropping it on your own. Your eyes widened when a cheeky glint appeared in his eye, and his hands around your waist fell down to your rear, squeezing firmly and pulling you close enough to him so that you could feel a twitching against your leg.

"Nuh uh, no way. Not after last time."

You stood there defiantly as Jacob looked thoughtful for a moment, a sly grin adorning that charming face of his as he walked around the carriage and closed all of the blinds. Your walls of resistance began to crumble when he eventually stopped at the door, slowly and deliberately sliding the bolt across it, tugging at the handle to make a show of proving it was locked.

"Better? I've been positively _dying_ to see you in just my hat." 

Chewing your bottom lip for a moment and glancing around to definitely make sure no one could see in, a wicked idea popped into your head as he resumed his position in front of you, his hands laying on your hips and staring at you half hopeful, half aroused. Rolling your tongue in your cheek, you gripped his arms and walked him back, pushing him down to sitting when you felt him bump up against the sofa.

"Stay. Good boy." You purred against his cheek before brushing your lips against his briefly. 

Taking a few steps back so you were now stood beside the desk again, you giggled slightly at his bewildered expression, drawing your hand up to the top of your shirt. Your heart now beating like a drum, you plucked the first button open, dragging your nails down the inside of your thigh with your other hand as you moved onto the next. Jacob soon realised what you were doing as you twisted the next one free, winking at him seductively as you watched him shuffle in his seat uncomfortably.

His eyes never once left you as the third button popped open, sliding your hand underneath the fabric and squeezing your mound for a moment, twitching when your fingers grazed over your nipple. You couldn't help but admire his restraint as you undid the rest of your shirt, slowly pushing it over your shoulders, your hands coming up to cup your breasts as soon as it hit the floor. A small moan tumbled over your lips as you gently squeezed your stiff peaks, rolling them in your fingers that shot tendrils of pleasure-pain straight to your core. The way he was looking at you served to boost your arousal further, from the hungry gleam in his eye to the way his jaw was slacked open in amazement as he watched your alluring display.

But. He was still far too controlled for your liking, and that just wouldn't do. Trailing your fingers down the valley between your breasts and over your stomach, you tugged your trousers open in one swoop, raising your eyebrow slightly when he went to jump out of his seat. Smirking when he sat back down; the whimper that tore from his throat as you turned your back to him sending a shiver down your spine, you pushed your pants slowly down over your hips, bending over when they got to your knees so you could pull them entirely off with your boots.

Glancing back to see he was literally panting as he took in the view before him, slightly shaking now you were totally sparse of any clothing apart from his hat, you decided to take things a step further, more than slightly enjoying what you were doing to him. Leaning against the edge of the desk, you pulled the chair closer to you, spreading your legs and propping one foot on top of it, baring your nether regions completely. A heavy blush rose up your cheeks as his eyes flickered from between your legs to your face and back again, biting your bottom lip when you grazed your nails up your inner thigh and over the top of your mound, brushing your index finger through your slick crease.

The second you began circling your sensitive nub, Jacob ripped his trousers open and let out a deep groan as his painfully hard and throbbing erection was freed, your own hand moving faster as he rubbed the copious leaking drips of his arousal over his tip. You plunged a finger deep inside you and wiggled it around for a moment, liberally coating it in your excitement before moving back up to your clit and rubbing frantically as you watched Jacobs fist sliding up and down his hard length, the orgasm that was starting to build in your core grow considerably closer.

Your legs began to tremble as you were skimming dangerously close to the edge, your soft moans making him work over himself faster, the almost obscene growls tearing from his throat being the last thing you needed to tumble over the edge. Throwing your head back and choking out a warbling cry as your climax washed over you, your whole body quivered as you continued with soft, languid strokes, wringing out every drop of pleasure you could. You had barely come down from your high when you heard shuffling and felt strong hands wrap around your thighs, lolling your head forwards to see Jacob with an expression that you could only be described, as the pure definition of lust.

Whimpering as he crashed his lips against yours, plunging his tongue into your mouth hungrily, you held onto his arms as he lifted you up and sat you on the edge of the desk, rubbing his tip through your folds and smearing your climax down his shaft. Draping one arm over his shoulder and gripping the lip of the counter for balance, you gasped as he suddenly plunged himself inside you, filling you tightly and immediately setting up a deep, steady rhythm. Gazing into his eyes, which were now dilated so far you could only just see a thin ring of hazel, you began rolling your hips in time with his thrusts, already feeling another orgasm quickly building inside you. 

You wrapped your leg around his back, your heel digging into him firmly that inspired him to increase his pace slightly as the unbearable heat flooding your body nearly reached its plateau. You are no longer able to move in tandem with him as he pulled up your other leg around his waist, grunting loudly with each thrust as he plunged in you with abandon, his already impressive pace becoming even more frantic. Crying out his name when you finally hit your peak, your walls clenched and fluttered wildly as the blissful waves of release washed over you in a torrent. Managing to catch his gaze through hazy half-lidded eyes to see he had a decidedly smug grin on his face, you held onto him tightly as he suddenly buried his head in your shoulder, bellowing out a deep groan as his own climax tore through him, his whole body shaking as his movements slowed, then finally stopped.

You remained clinging onto him for a few moments as you both caught your breaths, kissing his cheek and dropping your head against his. Jerking in sensitivity as he slowly pulled out of you and carefully set you down, your legs slightly shakey as they hit the firm floor, you giggled as he wrapped his arm around your waist and held you until you stopped wobbling.

"Hmmmmm, you can _definitely_ do that again."

Letting out a soft sigh when he cupped your chin and gave you a tender kiss, loosening his grip so he could sort out his trousers that had now dropped around his knees, you placed his hat on the desk, then squirmed when the all too familiar trickle ran down your leg and onto the floor.

"Oh, that's a lovely mess you have to clean up there." He chuckled, finally deciding on getting undressed rather than sorting out the bundle of fabric that somehow twisted around his leather thigh strap.

" **I** have to clean up? You either made it or caused it, so you should do it."

Sticking your tongue out when he wiggled his eyebrows, accompanied with a self-satisfied grin and tossed you a handkerchief, you quickly cleaned up and cocked your head in confusion when he pulled you down to lay with him on the sofa, draping the heavy blanket over you both.

"What if Evie needs to get in?"

"Plenty of other carriages for her to choose from. Besides, I figured you wouldn't want her bugging you with questions right now."

Sighing gently as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled your back snug up against his chest, kissing your temple before settling down for the night, you closed your eyes and refused to think about your worries until tomorrow.

 

 

Waking up the next morning, you winced at the slight crick in your neck as you sat up, massaging the muscle as you glanced around quickly, suddenly realising you were alone. Wrapping the blanket around you as you got up and began the hunt for your clothes, the corner of your lips twitched when you spotted a folded piece of paper on top of your coat that you had left on the safe. Sliding your hand out between the folds of the fabric, you picked it up, your eyes narrowing as you tried to make out the words on the hastily written note.

_(Name), something something Templars...... Westminster......Back later..... I Love you x_

A huge grin spread over your face as you tucked the paper into your coat pocket; big enough that your cheeks started to ache because of it, and quickly got dressed when you heard several Rooks chatting loudly in the next carriage.

Hanging onto the side rail as you waited for the train to pull into Whitechapel, you impatiently jumped off before it got to the station, breaking out into a sprint in the direction of your store. Your heart sank when you finally reached it, the expected 'SOLD' notice papered over the sign of your shop flapping about in the wind where it had come loose, in such a way that it made it feel like it was taunting you.

You had no idea why you had decided to come here, part of you was hoping that it had been a bad dream, but the sight before you confirmed that it wasn't, and you didn't know whether to be more angry with yourself or sad. Walking lazily down the streets with nothing in particular to do apart from keeping an eye out for any vacant buildings, your attention was caught by an old man whom you slightly recognised, pacing about and mumbling to himself. Walking over to him timidly as the last time you had seen him he had mentioned something about an asylum, you stood about a foot away and wrung your hands together as you waited for him to turn around to face you.

"Mr Darwin? Is something the matter?"

Becoming slightly nervous while he just stood there and stared at you, you silently let out the breath you had been holding when a glimmer of recognition lit up his face, taking your hands in his own and giving you a soft smile.

"Ah, my young friend. You are an acquaintance of Mister Frye are you not?"

"Yessir. Is there anything I can do for you? You seem.... troubled."

Your neck started to ache as you watched him continue pacing to and fro in front of you, occasionally stopping to glance over to the newsboy who was stood at the end of the alleyway.

"There is a man, Mister Owen, who has published slanderous remarks about my work in the newspaper. Would you be so kind as to fetch one for me?"

Looking at him quizzically for a moment and wondering why he didn't just go over and get one himself, you decided that he was a nice enough man, so you gave him a wide smile and nodded, heading over to the vendor. Just as you were a few feet away, you noticed that the blighter that was stood next to him wasn't actually buying a paper, but harassing the poor man.

"Hey! Stop that!" you shouted out at the top of your lungs, immediately running after him when he sped off down the street. Dodging and weaving through the narrow streets, you managed to keep him in your sights, until you turned the next corner and a horse and carriage came trundling towards you, swerving out of control. Ducking down and sliding underneath the nearby cart, you managed to miss colliding with the carriage by mere inches, stopping for a moment as it crashed into the wall behind you. Spotting the blighter a lot further down the street, you grit your teeth in anger as you carried on with your pursuit, determined for at least one good thing to come out of today.

You started to get a stitch in your side as you traversed through the outskirts of the City of London and back to Whitechapel again, clambering over walls and dodging people as you started to gain on him slightly. Jumping over the brick partition that led down to the tracks, you skidded to a halt as the blighter tripped up over the rail and tumbled to the floor, banging his head on the sleeper as he fell directly into the path of an oncoming train. Watching him scramble up and hold his head in a daze, obviously not realising that he was about to get run over, you mustered what little energy you had left and threw yourself towards him, knocking you both out of the way of the speeding train with a barely a second to spare.

"You. You saved my life."

Brushing yourself off and taking a moment to catch your breath, you grabbed him by the collar of his jacket when he went to turn and run away again.

"Yes, I did. Now you wanna tell me why you were hassling that newsboy?"

"Don't 'urt me! Some bloke paid me an my mates to force him to display this leaflet."

Letting him go with a shove as he passed you several pieces of paper, you instantly burst out laughing when you saw that the pamphlet had a rather crude drawing of Mister Darwin, but instead of his own body, it was a monkey instead. Just managing to compose yourself as you tucked the leaflet into your pocket, you made your way back to the scientist, still slightly giggling on the way.


	17. Chapter 17

Pacing up and down Aleck's workshop and glancing over at the clock on the wall for the umpteenth time since you arrived, you crept up behind the inventor and peered over his shoulder to see what he was doing, earning yourself an exasperated sigh as he dropped his tools back down on the countertop.

"(Name) this would go a lot faster if you didn't keep interrupting me."

Dragging up the stool next to him and slumping down on it; balancing your chin on your hands as you pouted at him, you tried to resist the urge to lean over and take another peek.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to see where I went wrong. Plus I'm slightly excited to see it finally finished, I've been trying for weeks to get it done."

Grinning when Aleck started chuckling and shaking his head, you reached out to the other side of the counter and picked up the screwdriver that was balancing on the edge, handing it over when he gestured for you to pass it to him.

"Just one more....... There. It's finished."

Jumping up and rubbing your hands together eagerly, you took your bracer out of his hands and pulled the sleeve of your coat up, sliding the gauntlet over your arm and fastening the straps quickly. Flexing your wrist slightly as it was now a lot heavier than before and you wanted to make sure you could still use your hand, you threw your arms around Aleck and kissed him briefly on the cheek when you saw that it fit perfectly.

"Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?"

"Oh hush, you have done plenty for me already." He mumbled as you pulled away, his face turning slightly pink at your gesture. "Just promise me you will be careful?"

"I will. Remember what I asked...?"

"Yes, yes, I won't tell Mister Frye. My lips are sealed. Now go, before I keep you here to help me with another of my inventions."

Smiling wildly when he pressed his finger over his lips, you gave him a quick wave and headed out of his workshop, itching to try out your newest accessory. Making your way down the side streets and heading towards the bridge, you glanced around to make sure that nobody was near you as you fiddled with the hook on your gauntlet, starting to fret slightly when you recalled what happened last time you did this. Taking a deep breath to steady your nerves, you raised your arm towards the lip of the bridge and released the rope, squealing when it caught on the edge perfectly, and you were hurled into the air. Grinning smugly to yourself when you grabbed the rail and pulled yourself up onto the other side, you retracted the rope and started jogging along the tracks, catching the side of an oncoming train and hoisting yourself up in search of higher places to scale.

 

Jumping off the side of the carriage when you reached the Thames bridge, you wandered around eying up the buildings as you passed them, trying to decide which one would be the bearer of your newest accomplishment. Settling on one that was probably a little bit tall for your second attempt; but you figured that you might as well throw yourself in the deep end, you quickly flicked your wrist before you lost your nerve and launched the hook, smirking like a cat with a bowl of cream as you landed neatly in the rooftop. Now more than slightly exhilarated at the view before you, and the fact that you had managed this on your own, you continued on traversing through the buildings and houses, gaining more confidence every time. 

Before you knew it, you had reached the Strand, several miles away from where you had started. Slightly breathless and your arms beginning to ache at the exertion, you decided that you'd had enough for today, and glanced down to find a suitable anchor point so you could get down to the street. Picking one of the nearby shops with a green awning on it, you cast the rope once more towards the corner of the shop and slowly made your way down.

About halfway to the ground, the arm that you were using to hold onto the rope spasmed up; a shooting pain running straight through it from your shoulder to your fingertips, making your grip loosen and panic surge throughout you as you knew you were nowhere near close enough to the ground to survive the fall. Crying out when your fingers finally gave way, and you began quickly plummeting to the street below, you closed your eyes and mentally prepared yourself for a lot of pain, _if_ you somehow managed to survive this. Just when you expected to have the inevitable stone floor beneath you, a scream stuck in your throat when you were met with something softer and a sharp intake of breath, strong arms holding you tightly.

Flicking one eye open, you quickly closed it again and let out a sigh of relief when you saw Jacob staring down at you, feeling a bit humiliated when in the brief glimpse you caught, his face was awash with slight disapproval and worry. Keeping your head low when he dropped your feet to the ground but still kept his arm around your back, you glanced up through your eyelashes and gave him a sheepish smile when you saw him looking up at where you had fallen from.

"Didn't know it was going to rain beautiful women today."

Stifling a chuckle when he cocked his head and stared at you with one eyebrow raised, you immediately frowned when you when you wove your arms around him to give him a hug, making him flinch and hiss through his teeth when you tightened your grip.

"Hmmm, I didn't mean for that to happen, I was actually doing quite well until then. Are you alright? You seem hurt."

"I'm fine," he mumbled against your head, before briefly kissing it. "I know you were, I've been watching you since the river. No more daft escapades on your own okay? That's my job."

Eyeing him up for a moment before smiling and nodding once as he flashed you a cheeky grin, you linked your arm through his when he began walking down the street, looking for a carriage to 'borrow'.

"Following me where you? Where are we going?"

Jumping up into the carriage next to him when he finally spotted an empty one, you kept stealing little glances at him, knowing something wasn't quite right.

"What, am I not allowed to watch you when you're doing something like that? Besides, I was looking for you because I could do with your help. Of the 'relieving people of their belongings' kind."

Grinning and wiggling your fingers as he cracked the reins and headed off in his usual swift pace down the street with a chuckle, you glanced around quite perplexed for a moment when you saw that you were heading towards a quite well to do part of the city; the Houses of Parliament to be precise.

"Dare I ask what I'm going to be stealing? I don't like being around these posh nobs much, same as you."

"Oh, nothing much, just an invitation to the palace ball."

"The pal....." you stuttered, slapping your forehead and rubbing your face as you wondered what could possibly be going on, as you knew he despised festivities like that. Jumping out of the carriage when you neared some sort of gathering, you stood behind Jacob while he located what he needed, trying to figure out how you were going to get past so many police officers.

"It's on that table, think you can get it?"

"Yes, but it's not like we can get through the front gates," you mumbled, frantically looking around for another way in.

"Hmmm. Over here."

Following him around the side of the house, you looked up when he stared at the rooftops, your brow furrowing in confusion when you raised your arm to use your line, but he gently pushed it back down again.

"I prefer this way."

Grinning when he wrapped his arm around your waist tightly and kissed your cheek, you held onto his shoulders as he launched his hook into the air, landing you both on the roof right next to the party. Hopping across the tiles to the next house, you climbed down the side of it; after Jacob had knocked out the policeman that was on guard overlooking the grounds, and hid in the bush that was closest to the tent that covered the table.

You glanced around one more time to make sure that no-one was looking in your direction, and as silently as you could crept towards the counter, pressing yourself hard up against the back of it when two of the guests approached it and stood on the other side. Cursing under your breath as you knew there was no way to reach the envelope without them seeing you, you chewed your lip and grabbed the edge of the tablecloth, gently tugging at it to slide the contents strewn across the top closer to you.

Holding your breath as you pulled the fabric inch by inch, you suddenly froze when you heard a shattering from close by; your movements had knocked a glass of some kind off the table, landing it next to the people near you. Quickly peeking over the top, you took advantage of the guests' distraction and reached out, fumbling for a moment until you felt paper under your fingertips. Grabbing it and stuffing it into your coat as you prayed you had picked up the right one, you jumped up and ran towards the alleyway between the houses, immediately bumping straight into one of the coppers.

"Oi, what you doing? You shouldn't be here! Whatcha got in your pockets?"

Panicking slightly when he grabbed the scruff of your coat and eyed you up suspiciously, you slid your hand into your pocket and pulled out its contents, watching his face scrunch up in confusion when you showed him an apple.

"Sorry sir, I'm... I'm just so hungry."

Silently praising yourself for thinking so quickly and biting your lip to stop a grin from spreading up your face when he let you go, you faked a frown when he took the fruit off you and pushed you towards the exit.

"Go on, be off with ya, and don't come back."

"You're becoming quite the one for theatrics I see." Jacob chuckled as you turned the corner to where he was waiting for you, pulling out the envelope from your coat and handing it to him.

"Yeah well, you're not the only one who's good at pretending."

Your eyes narrowed slightly as Jacob completely ignored your comment and kept his attention on the invitation, breathing a sigh of relief when he checked it over and tucked it into his coat.

"Right that's one, we need to get another for, _Evie_."

Noticing that he sounded slightly annoyed when he said his sisters' name, you took his hand and laced your fingers with his, squeezing them gently when he started to look a bit upset as you stared at him.

"You've had a falling out with her?"

"You might say that. I'd rather not talk about it right now if that's alright? We need to get going, Mrs Gladstone is at the train station and we need to get her invitation before she leaves. Think you can keep up?"

Grinning when his usual dazzling smile crept up his face and he tickled down your side, you stuck out your tongue and broke out into a sprint, calling out to him behind you with a snigger.

"Last one there buys the beers later!"

Picking up your pace when you could hear heavy footsteps catching you up, you decided to take the higher ground to keep your advantage, releasing your hook and launching up to the rooftops again without missing a beat. Quickly navigating your way over the tiles and towards the station, you froze when you reached the end of the terraced houses, swallowing hard when you saw that the bridge was further away than anything you had ever swung across to before. You were just about to climb down the side of the house; your nerves were getting the better of you after what had happened earlier, when Jacob finally caught you up, releasing his own line onto the bridge and grabbing ahold of you with a grin.

"What would you do without me?" He chuckled as you landed on the tracks next to the station, pulling you behind the wall so none of the guards would spot you.

"Probably have a very boring life! So where's this Mrs Gladstone then?"

Following Jacob down the platform while he scoured around for your target, you couldn't help but notice that the police presence was much more significant than usual for this station, making you wonder just exactly who you were stealing from.

"She's over there. The woman in the red dress, on the bench. The invitations probably in her coat pocket."

Glancing over to where he was pointing on the other side of the platform, you scoffed when you finally spotted her, completely surrounded by bobbys and station guards.

"As much as I enjoy a challenge, my love, you think you can help me out here?"

Tugging your hood up when he stood scratching his chin thoughtfully, you giggled when he did the same and snapped his fingers, pulling you in for a deep kiss before running off down the platform to where there were a large group of guards. Hopping over the tracks to the other side, you crouched down against one of the partitions and peeked around it to see your mark, keeping an eye on her while you waited for whatever reckless distraction Jacob had come up with. After literally a few seconds more, you heard the unmistakable explosion of a smoke bomb from further down the tracks and began chuckling when you looked up to see Jacob hanging from the rafters, the vast majority of the guards running off to see what the commotion was.

Quickly jumping up when you knew that you didn't have much time, you scowled when you got close to her, noticing that she had tucked her clutch purse under her arm and there was no way of getting to her pockets without some creative thinking. Picking up your pace slightly when she was now alone, you bumped into the back of her and managed to stand on the hem of her dress at the same time, making her topple over to the ground with a shriek. 

"Oh, I'm sooooo sorry! How clumsy of me, here let me help you up."

Extending one hand to the exasperated woman, you pulled her up quite forcefully so that she collided with you in her ascent, allowing you to slip your other hand into her coat and pull out its contents, slipping it up your sleeve unnoticed. Bowing your head apologetically when she mumbled something about you being a dirty street urchin, you broke out into a sprint to the end of the station with a smirk on your face, looking about to see where Jacob was hiding. Eventually spotting him leaning on the rail of the gantry above, you pulled your hood down and made your way up the stairs, grinning when he cocked his head curiously.

"What, did you think I couldn't do it? I'm insulted." you snickered as you pulled the envelope from out of your sleeve and handed it to him.

"I knew you could (name). Well well, it seems that our dear Mrs Gladstone had two invitations on her, it looks like you shall be going to the ball."

Peeking at the cards in his hand, your eyebrows rose when you saw that there was indeed two invites to the party, looking over yourself quizzically as if to prove a point.

"Me? A ball? I can't exactly go looking like this, and there's no way I'll be able to find something in time."

"Go find my _darling_ sister, I'm sure she will be able to help you out. I've still got a few things to do, meet you later?"

Nodding when he brushed his knuckles across your cheek and jumped over the rail to the platform below, you sat down on the bench beside you and gazed into space, wondering how you were going to be able to pass off as an upstanding member of society.


	18. Chapter 18

Standing in the middle of the dress shop and staring at your reflection in the mirror, the corner of your mouth twitched when you actually liked what you saw. Not knowing anything about the kind of function that you were going to, Evie had chosen a suitable dress for you to wear. It was a simple off the shoulder style, very fitted around the bodice that flaunted every one of your curves, and made from a pale green silky fabric that swished when you walked. Dropping your clothes and gauntlet into the nearby bag when Evie appeared from around the corner, you smiled when you saw she was wearing a dress almost exactly the same as your own, but in red.

"You look nice, that colour suits you."

You frowned slightly when she scoffed and stuffed her own belongings into the bag, quickly doing it up and hoisting it over her shoulder.

"I despise wearing these infernal contraptions, I can't wait to get out of it. Let's be off, shall we? Before this wretched thing squeezes all of the air out of my lungs."

Following her out the door after she tossed a coin bag at the sales girl behind the counter, you shivered for a moment as you stepped out into the night air, rubbing your arms to stave off the goosebumps while you waited beside the road for the transport that would take you to the ball. 

"Um, Evie, can I ask you something? Jacob's been acting off for a while now, more distracted than usual, do you know what's wrong?"

"I have no idea what that impetuous idiot is up to, nor do I care." she spat, making you wince as it finally dawned on you just how bad the argument they had must have been. You stood there trying to figure out if there was a way that you could get the twins to smooth things over, when your attention was drawn to a rather expensive looking carriage pull up in front of you. 

"Of course he'd arrive in that," Evie grumbled to herself, scowling slightly in annoyance.

You bit your lip to stop yourself from laughing when Freddie jumped out wearing a full-blown palace guard's uniform, but you soon stopped when Jacob climbed out behind him, your heart racing and your stomach fluttering wildly. He was now wearing a tailored black suit, a clean, crisp white shirt adorned with a deep red cravat, and it was apparent he had been to the barber's, as his hair was neatly trimmed and brushed back; the faint whiff of cologne tickling your nose. Not realising you had been staring until you heard Evie clear her throat and climb into the carriage, your cheeks began to get hot, and you lowered your head shyly when you saw Jacob had been doing the same to you. Taking his hand when he extended it to help you into the cart, you sat down with as much elegance as you could muster, pulling the skirt of your dress out of the way when Jacob sat next to you.

Lacing your fingers with his when he took your hand and stroked the back of it with his thumb, the corner of your lips twitched when he kept stealing little glances at you, even though the atmosphere in the carriage was somewhat strained. Peeking out of the window when you finally arrived at the palace, you couldn't help but snigger when you saw Mr and Mrs Gladstone arguing with the guards at the front gate, insisting that they were invited, but they had lost their invitations. You and Evie both stared at Jacob pointedly when Mr Gladstone yelled out that you were in his carriage, only to receive a shrug of his shoulders and a cheeky smirk in return.

"Did I hear something?" Jacob mumbled as he peered past the curtain out of the side window.

"No. Just the voices in your head."

"And yet, they are so much more pleasant than yours sister. Shall we my dear?"

Taking Jacob's hand and climbing out of the carriage; sighing heavily at the bickering between the two assassins, your eyes widened as you approached the entrance to the ballroom. Now that you were finally here, your nerves began to show as you linked your arm through Jacob's and squeezed tightly, hoping by some miracle that a fraction of his confidence would rub off on you.

"So what's the plan?" You uttered in a whisper to Evie, still completely in awe as you entered the gardens at the back of the palace.

"We need to find the piece of Eden."

"As you wish. I shall go and find Freddie."

Nodding when Jacob planted a soft kiss on your head and stroked down your back before heading down towards the other side of the palace, you turned to Evie and waited while she glanced around trying to locate whatever she was looking for.

"There are some plans located up there in the white drawing room, but it's most likely locked. The captain of the guard will have a key. Are you ready (name)?"

Looking over to where Evie was gesturing near the steps, you swallowed hard when you saw the captain, with two other guards posted either side of him.

"Yes. I'll get it."

As subtly as you could, you followed the guard closely when he started to make his way across the grounds, watching him out of the corner of your eye as you waited for him to reach somewhere out of sight of the other sentries. Sneaking behind a stone pillar when he positioned himself beside it, you paused for a moment as you looked over him, the corner of your mouth curving when you saw a ring of keys attached to his belt, making your task that much easier. Pressing yourself up against the cold stone and edging your hand slowly forwards, you suddenly froze and held your breath when he cleared his throat and started to walk away to resume his patrol.

 _"Bastard...."_ you mumbled under your breath, your eyes narrowing as you continued to trail him over the terrace. Knowing you'd have to try a different tact as he wandered around in the open, you picked up your stride enough so that you were a few steps in front of him, and squeezed yourself into a group of people, giggling into thin air as they all burst out into laughter at some joke that one of the men had told. Turning to your side slightly as the guard came close to where you were stood, you reached out inconspicuously when he walked by and his back was to you, quickly and silently unclipping the ring from his belt and hiding the bunch of keys in your dress pocket. Grinning smugly to yourself as you glanced around in search of Evie, you immediately set up a brisk pace in her direction when you finally spotted her. 

"There you go, nothing to it."

"Very well done (name). Now wait here, it will cause too much suspicion if we both infiltrate the drawing room."

Pulling out the keys from your dress and handing them to her proudly, you began fidgeting with the hem of your bodice when you realised that you had no idea what to do next, not knowing anyone else here, or even how to behave at one of these functions. Wandering around the edge of the garden and admiring the flowers; wondering if any of them were ones that Henry needed for his collection, you were startled by a hand laying on your arm, spinning you around to face a woman who was elegantly dressed in a deep blue gown, and about fifty years old.

"Ah my dear, you must be Mister Fryes young lady? I've heard so much about you."

"Erm, yes, I am. You are...?" you asked hesitantly, eyeing her up to try and determine if she was telling you the truth or not.

"Ah forgive me, where are my manners. Mrs Disraeli. My husband Dizzy is around here somewhere."

Taking her hand and dropping into a curtsey; which she seemed impressed at given her expression, you couldn't help but wonder how Jacob had become friends with such an obviously well to do woman.

"(Name). Pleased to meet you, Mrs Disraeli. How do you know who I am?"

"As I said, I've heard a lot about you. Although I am wondering.."

Her voice trailed off as she looked you up and down, nodding in approval at your appearance, but obviously trying to determine what your station was in society. Raising your eyebrows as she continued to stare, you shuffled on the spot uncomfortably as you waited for her to continue what she was saying.

"Mister Frye seems to be the rough and ready type, you however, do not. Tell me, my dear, are you acquainted with the Griffith's?"

Attempting to stifle a giggle at the woman's description of Jacob, you were pleasantly surprised when she also began laughing with you, gesturing for you to walk alongside her towards a crowd of people.

"I have to say that I'm not ma'am, I have no idea who they are. Jacob is a little, 'rugged', If that's the correct word, but that only adds to his charm. It's one of the reasons I was attracted to him in the first place."

"Oh? And what might the other reasons be?"

Jumping slightly when you felt Jacobs arm snake around your waist from behind, a fierce blush rose up your cheeks and you were rendered speechless as he planted a loud kiss on your cheek, much to Mrs Disraeli's amusement. Turning your head so you could see his face; the expected cheeky smirk adorning his features, you raised your eyebrows when you noticed that he had changed out of his suit, and was wearing his usual assassins attire.

"Forgive me Mrs Disraeli, but I must steal (name) away. We have, _business_ to attend to."

You still couldn't find your voice when the eccentric woman smiled at you knowingly, only just managing to find your feet when Jacob lay his hand at the small of your back, hurrying you towards a more secluded part of the palace. Looking about when you were far enough away from the other guests as not to be seen, you cocked your head questioningly when he rummaged through his coat and handed you several small throwing knives.

"As much as I would _looooove_ to ravage you right now, we actually do have a problem to deal with. Starricks men are posing as guards, and I could do with you distracting them while I free the real ones."

"Distract them? How?" you finally managed to blurt out, tucking the blades discreetly into your bodice.

"How do you think? No man in their right mind is going to keep his eyes off you, looking like that."

Smiling coyly at his compliment while he looked you up and down hungrily, you poked your head around the corner to see what you were up against, swallowing hard when you saw there were about a dozen so-called imposters littered about this side of the grounds.

"How am I supposed to tell which ones are the fake ones?"

Turning back around when you didn't get a reply, you scoffed and snapped your fingers in front of Jacobs' face when you saw that he was still in a daze, his eyes firmly fixated on your body.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry," he mumbled, throwing you a sheepish grin when you chuckled at his distraction. "Don't worry your pretty head about that, I can tell. You just go carry on being beautiful love, and I'll do the rest."

Shaking your head softly when he gave you one more lingering glance before making his way up to the rooftop, you cleared your throat and smoothed down your dress, and began walking down the side of the palace, adding a little extra sway of your hips in for good measure. Looking out of the corner of your eye to the right, you noticed that only two of the guards had seen you, so you had to do something quickly to grab the attention of the rest of them. The corner of your lips twitched when you thought of exactly how you could do that, just as you approached a bench halfway down the path.

Slowly and deliberately, you raised your leg to perch the tip of your toes on the edge of the seat and hitched your skirt up to just over your knee, frowning as you pretended to examine your shoe. Glancing up through your eyelashes to see that **all** of the men were now stood staring at you, some with their mouths dropped and the remaining whispering to their colleagues and gesturing over in your direction, you fiddled with the strap around your ankle and tried to contain your smile as you saw a shadow drag the guards into the bushes one by one.

You froze for a split second when you heard brisk footsteps heading in your direction, your eyes drifting up to see that one of the guards had gathered up the nerve to look at what you were doing. Taking a deep breath, you cast several quick glances over him, attempting to find any kind of hint to determine whether he was friend or foe, cursing silently when you couldn't see anything apparent.

"You shouldn't be here miss, this part of the palace is cordoned off for a reason. Can I assist you with something?"

Smiling as sweetly as you could, you raised your head properly when he came into full view, your hands trembling slightly when you finally spotted a Templar cross insignia pinned to his lapel.

"Dreadfully sorry sir, my shoe. I think I may have broken it. Would you mind?"

Clenching your jaw tight when he smirked and dropped to his knees in front of you; confirming that he was actually Templar as a real guard would have just ushered you away, you quickly slid your hand into your bodice and pulled out one of the knives that Jacob had given to you, and plunged it hard into the back of his neck while he was leant over and staring at your foot. Pulling out the blade and wiping it clean on his shoulder, you nudged his slumping body forward with your knee, making him roll into the hedge beside you and out of sight. Tucking the blade back into your dress, you made your way over to where there were a group of dishevelled men stood next to a stone pillar, who you assumed were the real guards of the palace.

"It's okay fella's, she's with me."

You gave a small nod to the guards who were looking over you quizzically as you approached them, before turning around to where you heard the voice had bellowed out from behind you, to see Jacob jogging over with several more uniformed men in tow.

"Come on (name), your things are this way." 

Bracing yourself when he grabbed hold of you firmly and shot out his rope; hauling you to the roof of the palace, you grinned smugly when you managed to clamber up over the side easily, even in your dress and ridiculous shoes. You glanced around to admire the scenery for a moment, and to make sure that nobody else was up here when Jacob handed you the bag that contained your clothes and weapons, your brow furrowing slightly when you reached up behind yourself with your other arm, remembering that it took two people to help you get into this dress in the first place.

"Ummm, I might need a hand with this," you mumbled, biting your bottom lip when you saw Jacob trying to muster all the willpower he could, just to not even look at you at this moment in time.

Turning your back to him and gesturing to the fastenings that you couldn't reach, you couldn't stop the tingles running down your spine as he slowly undid the clasp and the laces, tugging them open just enough so you would be able to pull the dress down. His self-control had obviously been thrown out the window when you suddenly felt his hot lips on your neck, kissing a soft trail all the way down that made a gasp stick in your throat. Turning your head slightly and looking at him pointedly, you knew instantly that this was one battle you weren't going to win, especially when you saw the lust filled expression on his face and felt his hand slipping down the front of your dress to skim the top of your breasts.

"Really? Here?"

"You did say you liked the idea of a rooftop," he whispered in your ear, teeth grazing against your lobe that made you instinctively twitch towards him.

"Well yes, but you know full well I didn't mean on the top of Buckingham Palace....."

Your voice trailed off and you dropped the bag on the floor as he spun you around to face him, his mouth crashing against yours with fervent desire. You held onto him tightly as he began walking you backwards a few paces, picking you up and sitting you on the stone railing at the edge of the roof, wrapping his arm around your waist so that your dress didn't fall down in the process. You began to shudder as his fingers drifted over the bare skin on your back, massaging small circles as he made his way over to your front, just barely grazing over the top of your bodice as you whimpered in anticipation.

Mewling and cocking your head to one side when he suddenly pulled away from you; stepping back just enough so he could see you from head to toe, you took the opportunity to catch your breath slightly and raise your eyebrows as he stroked his palms over the smooth fabric of your skirt.

"Just one last look before you're utterly debauched."

Giggling and hooking your legs around his knees, you pulled him back to you with a jerk, sliding your hands underneath his coat and dragging your nails down his back as you gazed up at him with _the_ most seductive gleam in your eyes.

"Well come on then, debauch me."

Jacob wasted no time in capturing your mouth with his again, forcing your lips apart with his tongue and flicking it over your own while his hands hastily gathered up the layers of your dress, sliding it up your thighs and exposing you to the night air. You threw your head back with a shrill gasp as he delved his middle finger through your folds; making him smirk when he discovered how slick you already were, immediately stroking your swollen nub with just the right amount of pressure that made you clutch aimlessly at his coat as the sensations of your orgasm already beginning to build. You started to rock your hips in time with his hand when he suddenly moved down and plunged his finger inside of you, slowly adding another and curling them around instantly, his thumb picking up the slack against your clit and rubbing faster as you clawed at his arms. 

He wrapped his hand around the back of your neck to hold you closer as you began to tremble; littering small kisses hungrily over your lips and cheek as the sweet tingling in your abdomen fast approached tipping point, only breaking his mouth away from you when he realised that you'd been holding your breath for so long.

"Come for me (name), there's a good girl."

His husky voice in your ear was more than your body could handle, several chocked cries tearing from your throat as your climax burst throughout you, the pleasure soaring so high that it became almost unbearable as he continued to pump his fingers inside you to prolong the sensation for as long as he could. 

Fumbling about when the overwhelming waves started to die down and you regained some slight control over your limbs, you managed to locate the buttons to his trousers and yanked them open so forcefully, that even he gasped and chuckled at your eagerness to have his length inside you.

"My, you do like it up here, don't you?"

"Hmm, you might say that, the view is _rather_ impressive." you giggled when you took a quick glance down as you eased his cock out of its confines, licking your lips hungrily when you saw he was painfully hard, drops of his arousal dribbling over the tip.

Using your thumb to smear the excitement over his shaft, you pushed his hand away from between your legs with your other arm and grabbed hold of his shirt, tugging him closer towards you and lining him up with your entrance. You both groaned in unison when he slowly pushed himself inside you, coasting unhurriedly within you and filling you tightly; making your walls clamp around him as the pleasant stretching ache sent tingles straight to your core. Jacob grabbed your hips as he started to thrust deeply into you, pulling out to nearly the tip before plunging in again, his lips meeting yours and stealing sweet passionate kisses in between your breathy moans as your second orgasm already began to build.

"Lean back (name)," he growled quietly in your ear, his pace speeding up a fraction. Your breath stuck in your throat as you gazed up at him when he moved back slightly, a sheen of perspiration covering his face and chest as he tried to exert some self-restraint; your current location obviously thrilling him as much as it was you. Trusting him completely and knowing that he would never let you fall, you gripped onto his wrists firmly and slowly leant back, the sudden rush of nothing but seventy feet of air between you and the ground making for a very potent stimulus indeed.

Flicking your eyes down and delighting in the ravenous expression on his face, you began babbling incoherently as every one of your muscles began to tense up, the pleasure deep inside your abdomen and between your legs growing at a rapid rate. You knew he was close too, from his breath coming in shallow, rapid wheezes, his hips thrusting eagerly as he revelled in you panting and keening before him. Tightening your grip around his arm with one hand, you let go with the other and snaked it between your legs, brushing your fingertips over your tingling bundle of nerves, giving you both the last bit of encouragement you needed to push you over the edge. The squeal that you couldn't hold back and the fluttering of your walls as you slipped into sweet ecstasy drew out a loud, primal moan from deep within his chest, but instead of feeling the expected heat fill you, you lolled your head forwards when you felt a sudden coldness as he drew out, biting your lip breathlessly as he took his shaft in his hand and gave it two hards strokes, spilling himself onto the floor between your legs.

Pulling yourself up as you slid the fabric pooled at your waist down over your legs; when the absence of Jacob between them made you feel decidedly chilly, you cocked your head questioningly as he cupped your chin and traced his finger over your lips, gazing into your eyes devotedly.

"Didn't want to ruin your dress, I'd like to see you in it again sometime."

Grinning and dragging him closer so you could give him a soft kiss before jumping down off the wall in search of your bag that you had abandoned, you tipped everything out when you finally spotted it, chuckling to yourself when Jacob stopped doing up his trousers and stood there staring as you shimmied out of the dress.

"Well, I'm sure that can be arranged, I do hope you've kept your suit?"

He continued to stand rooted to the spot and nodding furiously as he watched you carry on getting dressed, only managing to draw his attention away when you had finally pulled on your trousers and buttoned up your shirt.

"You're terrible, you know that?" you smirked as you finished adorning your weapons, walking over to him and trailing your fingers up his chest before fiddling with the coin around his neck.

"I can't help myself, you know what you do to me."

Laying your head on his chest and sighing contentedly when he wrapped his arms around you and kissed your cheek, you suddenly froze when you remembered why you were on top of the palace in the first place.

"Jacob, the mission..."

Looking over the side of the building and down to where the dancing area was when he dragged you over in a slight panic, you both breathed a small sigh of relief when you saw Evie in the middle of the patio; cursing out loud when the man who she was dancing with turned around so you could see his face, revealing he was none other than Crawford Starrick. Growling and knowing that you had to get down as soon as possible when Jacob squeezed your hand almost painfully in his anger towards the man, you squeezed back just as tightly and raised your other arm, shooting out your grappling hook parallel to Jacobs when he launched out his own to pursue the Templar.


	19. Chapter 19

Making your way over the dancing area where Evie was, you looked about furiously towards the lake when you saw that she was scouring for the Grand Master, who had managed to slip away.

"Here, the location of the vault, go!" She said hurriedly as she pulled out several documents from her dress and shoved them into Jacobs' chest quite forcefully.

"What, no plan sister?"

"No time for plans, just go! I'll catch you up as soon as I'm out of this infernal dress."

Breaking out into a sprint alongside Jacob when he glanced over the papers and ran towards the lake, you completely ignored his question of asking if you could swim or not, and gave him a sly smile as you trudged into the icy cold water, gasping when you dove in, and the temperature made your chest tighten slightly. Thankful it was only a few yards until you hit land again, you quickly pulled yourself up onto the bank on the other side, and squeezed some of the water out of your clothes as you hastily made your way through the dense trees. You skidded to a halt as several explosions rang through the air ahead of you, the fire and embers flittering around lighting up a hidden entrance in the ground, to what you assumed was the vault.

Gingerly following him down through the hole in the floor and squinting in the darkness as you began to traverse the narrow steps, a yelp caught in your throat as you lost your footing when the steps suddenly ended, sending you into a fast skid alongside Jacob down what was left of the ramp. Coughing as a cloud of dust wafted around you when you finally reached the end, you clambered up and brushed yourself off, narrowing your eyes as you tried to focus in the dim light of the derelict corridor in front of you.

"Stay close (name). We have no idea what kind of traps Starrick has set up."

You let out a slightly nervous sigh and followed him through the passageway, careful to watch your footing as the ground was littered with broken segments of the surrounding walls; and what you hoped weren't rats, until you came to a dead end. Stepping into Jacob's hands as he laced them in front of him, you heaved yourself up to the open ledge that he had gestured to, peeking through the narrow doorway as he followed up a split second later. 

Your eyes widened as you surveyed the room; it was obviously made for something significant. Easily the size of a church, colossal stone columns supported the grand balcony you were stood on, and several more running throughout the rest of the space. Large wrought iron torches lit everywhere up, enough so you could see without too much of a struggle, and a large altar at the back of the room down below, which the Templar Master was stood at. Just as you went to press forwards, you looked up awash with confusion as Jacob pulled you back, his own expression creased in surprise and slight worry as a sheet of light cut through the room, making your heart race when you saw that it cleanly cut a giant rat in two just below where you were stood.

"Stay here. No matter what happens, promise me that you won't try anything."

"What?! If you didn't want my help then...."

You were cut off as Jacob pressed a finger over your lips, the way he was looking at you making you slump your shoulders in defeat already. Squeezing his hand quickly and nodding before he ran off across the balcony towards Starrick, you moved a few paces and crouched down behind one of the pillars, peeking around just enough so you could see what was going on, but not be spotted.

Continuously flicking your gaze between Jacob stealthily climbing amongst the pillars and the Templar; who was now wearing a strange golden like shawl which seemed to emit cascading waves of shining energy from it, your heart jumped into your throat and you nearly ran out of your hiding position when Jacob lept down to assassinate Starrick, but was caught in the process and was thrown towards one of the blazing shards of light.

Letting out a wince of pain when you realised that you were clenching your fists so tightly; your nails cutting into your palm, you let out the breath you had been holding when you saw that Jacob was okay, the energy had luckily thrown him a few feet away and making him slightly dazed but not hurt. Your nerves were beginning to fray as he went to attack Crawford again, but it soon became apparent that the shawl had somehow given the Templar a vast amount of strength, making him easily stop Jacob once again, delivering several harsh blows that made him collapse to the ground.

You were contemplating breaking your word when you saw that Jacob was outmatched, until you saw movement down below out of the corner of your eye. Evie had finally caught you up and was running as fast as she possibly could towards her brother, her anger towards the Templar was more than apparent, even from where you were on the platform above. 

Sneaking your way closer and counting the number of seconds in between the walls of light to try and determine if there was a pattern to them; of which there wasn't, you suddenly saw an opening where you could possibly help the twins out with their mission. Sliding your hand in your coat and quickly pulling out one of your throwing knives, you held your breath and hurled it straight towards Starricks head, but just as it was several metres away, a beam erupted right in its path, disintegrating it instantly.

Cursing under your breath and hiding behind the pillar out of sight, you started to become exasperated at not being able to do anything. You had little time to ponder what to do next when the faint intermittent humming of the destructive light grew louder, your eyes widening when you only just managed to throw yourself against the wall and out of its path, missing you by mere inches. Dropping to the floor when it swung back overhead, you sunk yourself as low as you could go when you saw them getting faster, making your current hiding spot less than ideal. Using your knees to inch yourself forward so you could peer over the ledge, you couldn't believe your eyes when you saw Evie sink her hidden blade to the hilt into Starricks chest, but he seemed to come away completely unscathed.

Spotting Jacob crawling in agony on the floor on the opposite side of the room, you grit your teeth in rage and determination, refusing to hide in the shadows any longer. Rolling over onto your back as you waited for the next beam to pass, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath, jumping up quickly and headed back towards the entrance as soon as the coast was clear. Shimmying down the side of the ledge and waiting for an opportune moment, you were just about to break out into a sprint when you saw Evie barraging Crawford with punches, until you felt a hand grip your arm tightly and pull you back.

"Henry?? What are you doing here?"

"The same as you (name). I will not sit idly by and watch those I care about do this alone any longer."

Giving him a soft smile and understanding completely; handing him several of your knives, you spun around quickly when you noticed that he was staring over your shoulder with a look of dread on his face, to see that Starrick had caught both the twins around the neck with a vice-like grip that they couldn't get out of.

"Henry, now! Don't touch the light!"

Running as fast as you could towards the altar, you and Henry managed to dodge the lights and haul a throwing knife each towards the Templar, embedding them deeply into his back, making him let go of Jacob so he could pull them out one by one and drop them to the floor. Even though your attack seemed to have not injured him in the slightest, you gave Henry a quick unwavering look with a simple nod and flicked out your hidden blades, both surrounding him when he had thrown Evie across the room in his anger, leaving her in a daze several feet away. You knew there was no chance of you and Henry being able to defeat this man, especially with the shawl he was wearing making him seemingly impervious, but hopefully, you both could distract him just enough for Jacob and Evie to recover. 

Working in tandem, you each managed to land several blows on Starrick, but defending against him was almost impossible, his enhanced speed and strength making you tire quite quickly as he relentlessly altered his attacks between you both. Rage filled you when Henry managed to slice across Starricks torso with his blade, but he retaliated by punching him square in the gut, grabbing him fiercely and throwing him towards the wall, knocking him clean out as he crashed against the stone. The adrenaline filling your veins gave you the burst of energy you needed, speeding towards Crawford with your blades drawn, using all of your might to do everything you could to try and weaken him.

"You. Will. Not. Succeed!" 

You accentuated each word with a heavy punch to either his face or chest, your final one sinking your hidden blade straight between his ribs down to your wrist. Your eyes widened when he caught you around the throat and laughed in your face, using his other hand to grip yours and pull your weapon slowly and purposefully out of his chest. 

 

"Get Out Of My City...." He growled in your face through his teeth, a silent scream catching in your throat as he picked you up effortlessly, and launched you in the same direction he threw Henry.

Crying out as you flew through the air and hit the floor with a sickening thud, you gasped as all of the wind was knocked out of your lungs and the room began to spin, blinking rapidly to try and clear your blurred vision. You managed to flip onto your front and push yourself up onto your hands and knees, gradually inching your way forward and fumbling about in search of Henry to see if he was alright. You grabbed a handful of fabric when you eventually bumped into something large and warm, rolling him onto his back and laying your head on his chest, breathing a sigh of relief when you could feel him breathing. You slumped down on the floor and lolled your head towards where the fight was still going on, your sight clearing just enough to see Evie slice the golden shawl around Starricks shoulders in two; making it drop and flutter to the floor, and Jacob lunge at him a moment after to knock him over the the altar. 

A slight of a smile crept up your face when both of the assassins lept over the stone and drew their weapons once again, delivering several devastating blows to the Grand Master, finally ending his life and the immediate threat to London. You weren't even aware that you had closed your eyes until you felt a pair of strong arms slide underneath you, lifting you up and holding you close.

"Are you alright (name)?"

Flicking your eyes open and nodding softly as Jacob kissed your head, you groaned as helped you up to standing and quickly checked you over for wounds, stroking your cheek with his thumb when he saw there was none.

"I'm okay, just a little dazed. I hope we didn't jeopardise the mission?"

Glancing behind you when you saw Jacob staring over your shoulder, your eyebrows raised when you saw that Evie had crouched down next to Henry with her arm around him, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss.

 _"Well it's about bloody time!"_ you and Jacob chuckled at the exact same moment, giving them a sly wink that made them both bow their heads in shyness.

"Come on, let's get out of here. I don't know about you lot, but I could use a pint after all of that."

Henry and Evie burst out laughing at Jacob's exuberant demeanour considering what had just happened, but as usual, you took it in your stride, linking your arm through Jacob's and grinning wildly as you made your way to the surface again.

You squinted as you climbed out of the vault and headed out of the grounds and towards the street, the sun blaring overhead making you wonder just how long you had been underground for. You were just about to ask if anyone had spotted a clock when your attention was drawn by a rather lavish carriage trundling down the street, crawling to halt just in front of you. Cocking your head to one side when you saw that it was Freddie in the driver's seat, you began to wonder if he had gotten some sort of promotion when he jumped down to open the passenger door, holding his hand out to help down none other, but the Queen.

"Miss Frye, good to see you again."

"Wait, you've met the Queen?" Jacob whispered to Evie, flicking his gaze to you to see if you had been introduced to her majesty also, making you shake your head to his unspoken question.

"Mister Abberline has informed me that you four were the ones responsible for saving my life. Is this true?"

Henry stepped forward a foot and gave a deep bow, looking almost as awestruck as you were feeling at being in the presence of royalty.

"It was indeed, your majesty."

The Queen nodded to each of you in turn as she glanced over appreciatively, before turning to who you assumed was her bodyguard and taking a sword from him.

"I see. Miss Frye, step forward if you please."

Evie moved closer to her as she gestured to the rest of you, introducing you all as she looked like she knew what was going to happen next.

"My brother, Jacob Frye ma'am. Mister Henry Greene, and Miss (name) (last name)."

Your heart was going ten to the dozen as Evie dropped down onto one knee, Jacob and Henry following, and yourself a few seconds later. You couldn't stifle your beaming grin as the Queen tapped you briefly on each shoulder with the blade, making you turn your head slightly so you could see Jacob out of the corner of your eye, a small giggle slipping out when you saw that he had the same expression as you.

"Arise. I invest you all into the Order of the Sacred Garter."

"Thank you, your majesty." you and Evie blurted out in unison, not quite believing the honour that you had just received.

"If you are as adept as Mister Abberline implies, I may call on you again. I bid good day to you all."

You turned to each other quite flabbergasted as the Queen turned to climb back in her carriage, with Freddie jumping back into the driver's seat, all looking up as her majesty poked her head out of the window in the passenger door and spoke.

"Oh, and Miss Frye? Should you want it, I saved you some cake."

Waving to Freddie as he pulled the carriage away, the corner of your lips twitched when you saw Jacob and Evie share a brief hug; letting out a sigh of relief now that it was apparent that they had made up after their blazing argument.

" _Dame_ Evie Frye." Jacob chuckled as he punched his sister in the arm playfully.

" _Sir_ Jacob Frye. Race you to the train!"

You and Henry laughed and shook your heads as you watched the twins break out in a sprint towards the park, you grabbing his arm and pulling him into a run just behind them. 

Just as you got to the pond, you crashed into the back of Jacob; who had suddenly stopped in the middle of the path, laughing as he extended his hand to help you up when you fell straight on your ass.

"You two go on ahead, we'll catch up."

You raised your eyebrows in confusion when Jacob gestured to Evie and Henry in a shooing motion, making you even more baffled when they glanced over you with a knowing smirk. Linking your arm through his when he gestured for you to take it after rubbing the sore spot on your rear, you took a leisurely stroll around the edge of the lake, sitting down next to him when you came across a bench. You leaned into his embrace when he draped his arm around your shoulders, staring out at the water and watching the sun make it sparkle as you let out a gentle sigh in contentment. 

After several tranquil minutes, you looked up when you felt Jacob shuffling about, to see him fumble in his inside coat pocket and pull out a small, velvet looking box. Your mouth ran dry as your eyes flickered between his hand and his nervous expression, squeezing your fingers tightly shut when he gently placed the box in your palm.

"What...." You whispered, the pounding in your chest making you unsure if you had actually spoken out loud or not.

"Open it and find out."

You held your breath and chewed at your bottom lip as you slowly and carefully opened the lid, wishing your hands would stop trembling so the task would be slightly more manageable. Cocking your head to one side when its contents were revealed to you, you gave him a slightly perplexed look as a wide grin crept up his face before looking back down at the box, the metal glistening in the sunlight.

"I don't understand?"

"Hmmmmm, maybe this will help."

Taking the small brass key out and placing it in your other palm after dropping the box on the bench, you studied it for a moment while Jacob reached into his other pocket and tugged out a slightly yellowed piece of paper, neatly folded into four and handing it to you. Becoming more bewildered with each passing second, you gingerly unfolded the parchment and lay it out on your knees; noticing that there were actually two pieces of paper, quickly scanning over the writing on the first while mumbling the words as you read. You suddenly froze when you came to your name in black italic writing about halfway down, followed by an address well known to you located in Whitechapel.

"This.... this is.... you... How?!" you blurted out, rubbing your eyes with the back of your hand and reading the same sentence over again before staring at Jacob wide-eyed.

"I made you a promise, didn't I? I said I would get you your shop back, and I aaaaaalways keep my word. Got the room above it too, no more sleeping in... _Oooof!_ "

He never had a chance to finish what he was saying as you launched yourself on top of him and wrapped your arms around him tightly, knocking his hat off and littering kisses all over his face in between your ecstatic giggles. Leaning back and grinning wildly; matching his rather pleased expression, you cupped his face in your hands and gave him a long and tender kiss, resting your forehead on his when you both became slightly breathless.

"I can't believe it! How did you get it?"

You raised your eyebrow slightly as he wove his arms around your waist and held you firmly against him, looking a bit sheepish as he gazed into your eyes.

"Went back to the bank and _convinced_ that assistant to tell me who bought your store, and went round to see him. Nice old bloke really, if a bit backhanded."

"Wait, you didn't?"

You were silenced by him pressing his finger against your lips, shaking his head and chuckling as he knew what you were thinking.

"I was good, just told him how much it meant to you, and swayed him to sell it back. What he paid, then half again, money grabbing git. Anyway, I took what you had saved from the safe on the train, and went to see Robert. I fought for the rest."

Everything suddenly fell into place as Jacob revealed his plan to you, from him being dismissive when you had asked him where he had been, to the numerous unexplained injuries he had gotten recently. Your heart was swelling to near bursting, and your eyes began to sting with the tears that started to well up in the corners of them, throwing yourself against his chest and nuzzling into his neck when one broke free.

"This has to be one of the best days ever."

"Oh I'm sure we can make it better, shall we go home?" he chuckled against you, tracing lazy circles down your back as you looked back at him slightly bemused again.

"We? Home?"

"Uh huh. Read the other letter."

Suddenly remembering that you had two pieces of paper scrunched up in your hand, you smoothed them out and flipped the first one over, revealing a document exactly the same as the first, with two minor differences. One was the address, the deed belonging to the flat above your store, and the second being the title holder on it. Right next to your neatly printed name was a much heavier and larger signature, stating that both you and Jacob owned the property equally.

"Sooooo? Yes? No? We could always go back to the train."

Stuffing the key and pieces of paper as quickly as you could into your pocket as you adorned _the_ biggest smile known to man; so wide your face began to hurt with it, you jumped off his lap and leaned over the bench to snap up his top hat, dropping it on his head before grabbing his hand, pulling him into running in the direction of your shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry to keep everyone waiting! But here it is, complete at last :) I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


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